Yadokawa Naruto
by DoomStrider96
Summary: A chance encounter with the number one Fuinjutsu master of the elemental nations, Minori Yadokawa, leads Naruto down an entierly different path in life. Where will this new road lead him? To what extent has Minori-chan changed Naruto's life? to what extent has she changed the world?
1. Chapter 1

**Minori-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! Hey everyone, this is my third fic and yes, I am aware that as of writing this, I have two rather unfinished stories . . . I get distracted easily okay. Anyway, this is the first of many stories that features my favorite OC character, Minori Yadokawa. I shall give you all a warning now cause I won't later, This is M rated due to language, violence and adult themes.**

 **Please forgive the bad editing, I do it as I write so it can be rather poor, in anycase, see you at the bottom, enjoy.**

* * *

Prologue

Yadokawa Minori strode in through the front gate of Konoha as the sun just barely grazed the horizon as it set. Minori breathed out a breath, visible to her in the cold winter's air, as she took in the familiar sights, sounds and smells of Konoha. Minori ha finally returned to konoha after six years and now that she was back, she felt glad to return to her home. Minori rested her hand on the hilt of her sword that protruded from her back on her left side. It was belted in such a fashion that it traveled across the small of her back so that it wouldn't get in the way of anything and was short enough that it didn't stick out much, that being said, most people tended to not know what kind of sword it was. Minori's sword was too long to be a Tanto, too short to be a Katana and had a two handed grip so it wasn't a wakizashi but the truth of the matter was that it was just a sword that the old smiths of the now dead Yadokawa clan made for all it's shinobi, nobody cared what others called it.

Minori's attire might have been considered provocative, wearing a grey kimono so loose that most of her upper torso was revealed to it and a pair of shorts that barely covered her thighs but any cleavage that might have been exposed was covered by darker grey cloths that her sensei had forced her to start wearing when she was a child and her legs were covered somewhat modestly by her loose kimono and leg dull grey leg warmers built into her shinobi sandals. Of course, Minori had a good reason for dressing 'provocatively' and it had to do with her bloodline but that was of little consequence since she hardly used it nowadays, rarely having the need and finding the need to cover her many tattoos that she had hiding the various seal arrays covering her body. Minori's speciality had, and always will be, her fuinjutsu.

Minori's casual walk was interrupted by the voice of her old sensei calling out to her and so, knowing full well that her sensei was dead, she stopped and turned. One hand dipped to the bottle of ink and a brush that she had clipped to her belt to be able to use her fuinjutsu at a moment's notice even in battle conditions.

"Who's there?" she said, keeping any confrontational tones out of her voice as she walked into a narrow alley that was partially hidden from the street by way of a corner of one building sticking out slightly. Walking past this corner, Minori noticed a small boy in it's shadow. The boy couldn't have been more than six years old and had bright blond hair, three shades brighter than her own platinum blond hair. Another detail she noticed was that he was in only a t-shirt and shorts . . . in the middle of winter. One further detail was the stark comparison she immediately drew between the boy and her own sensei. Minori's breath hitched in her throat as the gravity of the situation hit her like an angry akimichi she had just called fat. "What's your name boy and why are you on the street . . . clothed like that . . . in the middle of winter?" she said to the kid who was shivering something fierce

"U-Uzumaki N-Naruto" the boy managed to get out past his chattering teeth, Kami the boy was almost blue he was that cold and Minori had to work furiously to keep herself from showing anything other than mild curiosity. "It's a bit warmer here than in my house at the moment so I-I-I'm j-j-j-just warming up a bit before I g-go to bed" The kid said with a smile that raised the surrounding temperature by a couple degrees . . . the kid had Kushina written all over him.

"And why is it warmer on the street than in your own home? Surely you have a heater?" Minori asked, already dreading the answer

"I-It's alright! I-I-I'm g-going to be a n-n-ninja and I-I'm going to be H-H-Ho-k-k-kage some day! Datebayo! S-s-so this is nothing for a n-n-ninja" _I can't afford heating_ "Plus it's a little breezy in my house sometimes" _The windows have been smashed_ "Who needs warm clothes anyway? Big thick materials cost money and I don't want to waste a warm coat while training! Dattebayo!" _This is all I own_ Minori's abilities to divine truth from the lies was almost legendary, if anyone had even knew who she was in the first place and that's how she liked it. This all meant, however, that Minori's hand was white as she gripped the hilt of her sword in a death grip as her self control fought the most epic battle of all time with her righteous fury at the village for the blasphemy that Kushina-sensei's son was on the street and pretending to enjoy it.

"Here" Said Minori, making a piece of paper as wide as her hand and twice as long appear from seemingly nowhere. "This is a paper tag of mine, it's special, I made them so as to heat ninja up on long missions in cold climates when fires are too risky and it's too cold for a ninja on watch to sit still without shivering" Minori explained as she activated the seal and suddenly, with a now glowing tag, the area around naruto, who was shivering in front of the tag, begun to get significantly warmer. Naruto's reaction was almost immediate as he thrust his almost blue hands over the heating tag and rubbed them together as heat, blissful heat, flowed into his body. Minori saw the look that the kid gave her and, to her, it looked like she was one of, if not _the_ , first people to ever be this kind to the boy. Minori almost pulled out her special bomb that instant. "I'll be back in a little bit, I just got back from a long term mission and I need to talk to the Hokage . . . when I'm done, how about we go get something to eat, I know this place that should still be open" she said to the boy who smiled like his mother had just come back from the dead, given him a hug and told him she loved him.

"Y-you really mean that?!" Asked naruto, overjoyed at the kindness of someone who was a complete stranger.

"Yeah, there is just no way I can leave you like this" She said and, in a spur of the moment decision, Minori leant over and kissed the boy on the forehead, wrapping him in a hug. Naruto was so surprised that Minori was able to count to five before the kid melted into her arms and tried his six year old best to squash her in a bear hug. A solitary tear rolled down Minori's face as she closed her eyes and just hugged Naruto. "I'll be back naruto, just stay here and stay warm" minori said before pulling back from the hug and getting up. Naruto was crying and it broke Minori's heart to know that just anyone could have come on by and given the kid some warmth, a bit of food, and a little kindness and they'd have had a fanatical devotee by the end of the day, the horror that would have been Naruto should Danzo get his hands on the boy. It was at that point in time that Minori noticed the ANBU-nin who was hiding as best as he could from Minori. According to her senses, the ANBU had been there before she had gotten there which meant that the Hokage had assigned him to watch Naruto . . . watch Naruto freeze to death.

Minori gave Naruto a smile and a wave before she rounded the corner and was about to go have a word with that ANBU before the presence of someone she hadn't seen for six years made itself known to her. Minori turned to face Kushina who stood there with a smile on her face and tears rolling down her eyes.

"S-sensei?" Minori asked and Kushina smiled "Don't worry sensei . . . I'll take him in and raise him almost as good as you could have" Kushina's smile went wider before a gust of breeze dispersed the apparition. Minori then turned and shushined over to where the ANBU was trying to hide.

"What were you doing with Naruto?" The masked ANBU said quietly, not bothering to turn in Minori's direction as the two stood on a rooftop, masked by lengthening shadows and a second story to the house just behind them.

"Is watching a boy freeze to death fun?" Asked Minori, emotion having left her voice before she had appeared behind the ANBU-nin

"My orders were to make sure nobody hurt him, nothing else" Said the ANBU. "If the demon can't take care of himself, that's not my proble-erk!" That was the last sound he made as a kunai appeared where his spinal cord had been.

"No, I don't suppose it was your problem . . . a pity you were given such vague orders" Said Minori to the rapidly cooling corpse.

* * *

"Ahh! Minori-chan, it has been far too long!" Said Sarutobi Hiruzen, the sandaime Hokage as Minori entered his office. She had found the man sitting there and enjoying his pipe in what appeared to be a rare time when he wasn't neck deep in paper-work. "How have you been?" He said, the smile on his face telling her he had no idea of what had transpired not too long ago.

"Oh, I've been rather good . . . if only missing my adoptive home somewhat . . . speaking of, I had an interesting meeting with a rather unique young boy" Said Minori, are jovial act flawless to the point where even the legendary God of Shinobi wasn't quite able to place it though, he did have the vague sense that something was off.

"Oh? Must have been quite the occurrence if it's got you talking about it, you're normally tight lipped about things that happen to you" the Hokage was referring to the fact that he still only had guesses as to what happened to her clan.

"Yes, the poor boy was on the street! In a t-shirt and shorts and huddling behind a building for shelter from the cold elements! He also looked like he hadn't had a decent meal in far too long and was about six years old" Said Minori as she sat on the desk to converse with the old man and now, Sarutobi definitely knew there was more to this than he thought, a sudden instinct that told him his life was in danger reared it's head.

"Well then the foolish boy should return to the orphanage" He said, his smile having faded as he prepared for the fight of his life and regretting that he wasn't wearing his old armour.

"Apparently the boy doesn't live in the orphanage and instead has his own place . . . according to him, he isn't there right now because it's a bit less chilly on the street than in his house. Naturally I looked into this, what sort of spy would I be if I didn't?" Minori said as she sat, facing the door with her arms crossed and a fake smile on her lips. "His front door had been ripped off it's hinges, his windows were missing any form of glass and his building was taking the full brunt of that rather chilly breeze, this all equates to a nice sheen of ice covering nearly every surface of Naruto's house" Hiruzen's eyes were wide and that same Akimichi that hit Minori not too earlier that evening hit the old Professor. "You okay there old man? You look a little pale" Said Minori as she put her hand on the Hokage's shoulder as if to see if he was alright but when she removed her hand, a paper bomb was revealed in it's place. Moving quickly, Minori leaped backwards and between the two ANBU that suddenly appeared in the room, one hand in the ram sign that would blow the tag on the Hokage's shoulder.

"STOP! Don't move a muscle! Minori's explosives, even her smallest, are enough to kill everyone in this room!" called out the Hokage and the two ANBU-nin froze especially when they realised she was just a quick application of chakra away from making that happen. A feral grin adorned Minori's features as the other occupants of the room got a glimpse into the madness that hid just beneath her self control. "Name your demands" Sarutobi said in a barely restrained growl.

"Number one, Reinstate me as a Jounin of Konoha but stick me into one of the sections that tend to stay in the village, I don't want to be leaving Konoha any time soon and Two, I get Naruto in my custody, I will care for the boy where you and all Konoha has failed . . . even his fucking godfather" Minori stated her two demands to the Hokage who sat there and closed his eyes, a look of shame on his face.

"I will recend Naruto's stipend and you will not be getting paid for your services in whatever I put you in for two years . . . you sure you can afford that?" Said Sarutobi as he looked up and Minori burst out laughing.

"I am a fuinjutsu master, I had intended to sell my works to various peoples that Konoha may be bettered with them. I shan't have issues with finances. Also, something to consider at a later date perhaps, I would like to take a small sub-course at the academy . . . more specifically, I'd like to teach it and it will be on recognising and potentially disarming Fuinjutsu seals, at the end of this course, I will teach the students how to make storage scrolls. This course will be for final year students only" Minori stated, dropping her hand from the ram seal she held it in and Sarutobi removed the paper bomb from his shoulder.

"Agreed . . . I am sorry, for what little that is worth, I know you and Kushina were close . . . what happened to the ANBU that I had watching Naruto? Surely he wouldn't have let the boy freeze to death like that?" said Sarutobi, looking worried for a moment that Minori had done something.

"About that . . . apparently his orders were to 'watch and prevent anyone from harming him' and that's precisely what the man was doing . . . watching a boy slowly freeze to death because nobody was actually harming the kid" Replied Minori as she shrugged.

"I will be having words with the man for this . . . I had assumed my ANBU would be completely loyal to me" Said Sarutobi, looking down at his desk for a moment before Minori's laughter drew his attention again.

"Have fun with that, he may be a little unresponsive though hehe. I believe that talking about Naruto's little secret warrant immediate death right? Well the man said a touch too much and it was rather convenient and excuse to ledge a kunai into his spinal cord" said Minori as she rested an arm on the hilt of her sword and her other hand on her hip while Sarutobi clenched his jaw.

"An unloyal ANBU-nin is a threat to me and Konoha anyway . . . I will allow this just this once, next time I am to be informed _before_ you take lethal action in my name" said Sarutobi, authority in his voice that denoted his role as the leader of Konoha.

"Hai hai, Hokage-sama" Grinned Minori "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a cold and rather hungry young boy to get acquainted with and I promised him a decent meal when I was done here soooo imma go take care of that now" Sarutobi nodded and waved towards the door. Minori waved back before walking away, as soon as she left his sight, the paper bomb that Sarutobi had gingerly placed on his desk caught fire and was incinerated, leaving no trace it had ever been there.

"What is that Nara term that they love so much? Ahh yes, Troublesome woman" Sarutobi said with a heavy sigh.

"Would you like us to kill her Hokage-sama?" Asked one of the two ANBU in the room with Sarutobi. Hearing the ANBU's question, Sarutobi laughed.

"No Crane, I don't hate you so much to order your death like that" He said to the now confused ANBU "I would like to remind you that she managed to get close enough to place a paper bomb on my shoulder before I could even think to react" and with that, and a few more chuckles, Sarutobi pulled out some more papers to get all the paperwork filled out and insure that Naruto was officially recognised as Minori's charge tomorrow onwards.

* * *

"Well, here we are! I'm glad this place is still here, they make awesome food!" Said Minori as she and Naruto came up to a restaurant that was on the main street.

"A-are you sure this is okay Minori-nee?" Asked Naruto as he clutched the grey kimono around him a little tighter. The obviously too large garment was almost dragging across the ground.

"As I already said, it's a spare and I can always wash it, I have plenty of clothes sealed away and it will do you until we can get you something better than a t-shirt and shorts" Minori said in reply before placing a hand on Naruto's back and gently pushing him inside the little restaurant. Inside the establishment and directly in front of the entrance was a bar with several cooking stations on one side and stools on the other side while a bunch of tables and chairs filled a large but cozy area on either side of the entrance.

"M-Minori-chan! Hey Aki! Minori-chan's back!" shouted a thin, greying man in a brown apron over a tan kimono and dark green trousers to a girl with short black hair in a long green kimono that went down to her knees.

"Minori-chan! Oh kami it's been six years!" Aki said as she walked over, vaulted over the counter and glomped Minori. "Who is this adorable little puppy you have?" she said as she finally pulled away from the bear hug she had given Minori. Naruto looked up at both Aki and the man who was still behind the counter.

"Uzumaki naruto, I found the poor boy shivering behind a building" said Minori as she put a hand on his shoulder "I then immediately went to the hokage and got him to give me custody" Naruto looked up sharply at Minori as soon as she said custody.

"W-w-what does that mean?" Asked Naruto, his large cerulean blue eyes drinking every detail of Minori's face.

"It means, Naruto, that I'm your family now" she said to the boy, a smile tugging at her lips while Aki squealed in delight at the scene and the old man behind the counter grinned ear to ear.

"Enough! That poor boy is half starved! Naruto, Family of Minori-chan's is family of mine! Get your butt on one of these stools and I'll heap some food on the table for ya! I'm Shota by the way and you've already met Aki-chan, my daughter" Said Shota as he slapped a section of the counter and Naruto looked between Minori and Shota.

"Go on Naruto, hey, Shota! I think Naruto here needs a lesson in the god food of Teriyaki!" Said Minori as she gently nudged Naruto towards the stool and took a seat beside him. Shota grinned and turned around to find his cooking element before chucking some diced meat into a pan and chucking that on the element where it started sizzling.

"Beef for the young man cause he looks like he needs something hearty!" Said Shota over the sounds of the sizzling.

"Hey Aki! You got any more tea over there!" Called out a man from the right of Naruto and Minori. Naruto turned and saw a chunin with dark blue hair and bandages covering his face and nose.

"Ah! Hai! Coming right up!" Cried out Aki as she cheerfully went over to a large tea pot, poured some steaming brew into a smaller pot and carried it over to the table with the chunin. How she did all this with her eyes closed in a seemingly impossible eye smile, naruto didn't know but he was so completely out of his element that all he could do was drool a little as the smells of cooking beef hit his nose.

A few minutes later and Shota had dumped two plates down, one in front of Naruto and one for Minori. Naruto's plate was twice the size of Minori's but Naruto didn't notice this detail as the scent of the food wafted towards him and he drank in it. Minori slowly handed him a pair of chopsticks from on of the cups and watched as Naruto took the pair, looked at her, she nodded, he pulled the chopsticks apart, stuck them between his thumbs, slapped his hands together and shouted "ITADAKIMASU!" at the top of his lungs. Minori could just watch on in amused surprise, her mouth hanging open as Naruto somehow managed to turn a pair of chopsticks into an industrial grade food dispenser that operated almost faster than the eye could track. In the record time of just under ten seconds, the six year old blonde put a double serving of Teriyaki beef away and still looked hungry and was delighted when another plate magically appeared in front of him.

"Whah? Huh?" Said Minori intelligently and Shota winked at her.

"Minato and Kushina had a fair few dates here remember?" Said Shota and Minori turned to look at him before he put his finger to his lips "I won't say a word" He said with a grin and Minori chuckled before digging into her own meal and savouring the bliss.

"The boy doesn't need to take his time, he's just going to shovel so much of the precious god-food down that he will taste it no matter what" Minori said after a couple bites and chuckled again.

As it turned out, two double portion plates was enough for Naruto who sat there with a pleased sigh and two cups of tea appeared in front of them courtesy of Aki who grinned with closed eyes again, tilting her head to the side while her chin length, glossy black hair stayed in position as if held there by chakra.

"So how was it Naruto?" Asked Shota as he leant over the counter, grinning at the blond boy.

"Awesome! I love it! You were right Minori-nee! It really was god-food!" Exclaimed Naruto as he waved his arms about to express himself.

"Heh, told ya! But the best thing about this place is that Shota sells more than just Teriyaki, there is Ramen, Udon, Sushi and a couple other things! So you can get a decent variety whilst still having the best food known to mankind!" said Minori even though her, Aki and Shota knew that Naruto's new found love of Teriyaki may have more to do with Minori loving it than Naruto but the boy was now infatuated with the food and they all grinned at him. "Well, I suppose we should head back to your house Naruto" At that Naruto looked down.

"B-but . . ." He tried to say and it was clear from his dejected look of what he was going on about.

"No problems Naruto! Fuinjutsu fixes everything! I already took care of the damages" Said Minori cheerfully and Naruto brightened up considerably.

"But wait! Where are you gonna sleep? There's only one bed" He said as he gave her a confused puppy look.

"Not a problem I have my own in my back pocket" Said Minori, doing her best to emulate Aki's closed eye smile however her hair did go with her head tilt.

"How can you have a bed in your back pocket!" Naruto laughed and Minori laughed along with him as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Well Naruto, Fuinjutsu allows me to seal whatever I want into whatever I want so if I want a bed with me, I can seal one into a scroll and carry it in my back pocket" Minori said before taking a small scroll out of nowhere and unrolling before a puff of smoke turned the scroll into a comfy looking bed with blankets and everything. Minori held up a ram sign and the bed turned back into a small scroll before Minori collected it and stuffed it back into the void where she got it from.

"That was so cool! I wanna be able to do that foojutsu too!" exclaimed naruto with Shota quietly chuckling while Aki giggled softly.

"Oh I'm gonna be teaching you that and it's Fu-In-Jutsu, when I'm done with you, you will be at least half as good as me! And then it will be up to you to pass me" Said Minori as she patted Naruto on the head and ruffled his hair. "Now let's go home Naruto" she said, flicking some cash onto the bench which was less than the meal should have cost but she was already aware that Naruto's first plate had been a free gift from Shota, she gave the man a smile and he grinned while nodding his head.

"Thanks Shota-ji, Aki-nee!" Said Naruto as he got off his stool and walked out the door with Minori following closely behind him and hearing Aki's squeal of delight at Naruto's new honorific for her.

Naruto . . . he was Minori's charge now. _"Don't worry Kushina sensei! I will love him with all my heart and I'll make good on my promise to take care of him!"_ Minori looked down at the boy as he walked down the street, beaming a smile so bright that the darkness that came with the setting of the sun seemed to be held at bay. Minori smiled at him and knew she really would love the boy like a little brother . . . or . . . no, he was Kushina sensei's and Minori will never replace her sensei but she will love Naruto.

* * *

 **So this isn't as long as the chapters from previous story but still, I liked it.  
In any case, please let me know what you liked, disliked, what could be improved and what you'd like to see more of.**

 ****Update!** edited with scene breaks for your convenience (Funny story, even after I did this when I uploaded the doc to FF.n it still ate my scene breaks)**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Greetings again everyone and here we have another installment of the story for you all, fair warning, this chapter is mostly about Minori getting settled back into the village and meeting some of the locals, next chapter will focus more on Naruto.**

 **As always, I don't do so well with editing so please excuse the mess this is likely to be in. hopefully this time FF.n won't each my scene breaks after I'm done my brief little edit here. I hope you all enjoy, see you at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Part 1: The beginnings of a beginning**

"Nee-chaaaaaan! Why do I have to do all this boring stuff!" Complained Naruto as he sat at his living room table with Minori and a mess of papers where Minori was attempting to teach the boy the written language.

"Because without it you can't learn Fuinjutsu . . . or read mission scrolls for that matter but that's less important than Fuinjutsu!" Minori said before bopping Naruto on the head "Just for that little spout of disobedience! When I return I want three pages of the entire alphabet both in hiragana and katakana! There will also be at least three copies of the first thirty Kanji I taught you!" said Minori and Naruto slammed his head against the desk in horror.

"Where are you going nee-chan?" Asked Naruto as he lifted his head from the desk

"Since the Hokage cut off your stipend and doesn't want to pay me for much of anything, I am forced to sell my services to various clans! It's not that bad really, I'm just gonna go sell some of my new C-Rations to the Akimichi who are in charge of the Shinobi rations in Konoha and even have their own store to sell things like that" Minori said, looking back at Naruto fondly

"Why'd jiji cut my money off?" Asked Naruto, cocking his head to the side in confusion

"Because, Naruto, I'm here to take care of you so the Hokage doesn't want to waste any more precious budget than he has too, which is also why he isn't paying me for doing my job, what little of a job I have anyway. I can sell my services in Fuinjutsu and brilliant genius to earn the money I need to make ends meet and better yet! It all helps Konoha by lightening the budget a little and providing good stuff to help our troops in the field or back home!" replied Minori with enthusiasm.

"Nee-chan is awesome!" Naruto said and Minori grinned at him

"Yes I am, now get back to work! I knew a hundred Kanji by your age!" Minori said causing Naruto to groan before going back to his work with pencil in hand. Minori let a fond smile play on her face as she watched the boy work. He was still wearing the grey kimono almost as if he refused to take it off and Minori wasn't sure if she was pleased of wary. It had been a couple of weeks since she had started living with the boy, even though he proclaims he is living with her, and she has done much to attempt to rectify the issues Naruto had from not being raised right. "Naruto" Minori said quietly and the boy in question paused his work to look up. "Tomorrow I'm going to start teaching you Taijutsu, I think Yadokawa style form three will suit you" She said as she thought Naruto's training.

"Isn't your name Yadokawa? Did you invent your own Taijutsu style?" Asked the now eager Naruto.

"No Naruto, this belonged to my clan . . . I shall tell you about it some time soon . . . especially since you and I have some things in common in that regard" Minori replied, looking thoughtfully at the boy again.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to the side in his 'confused puppy' expression.

"We shall have a chat about it, and your family, when I return" Minori said before walking over to the boy and giving him a kiss on the forehead, turning around and leaving with a wave. Naruto grinned happily as he waved back and then got stuck into his work, he didn't want Minori to leave him and this wasn't that hard anyway.

* * *

"So, you said you had something for us that could be a great addition to the Shinobi diet?" Asked Akimichi Chouza as he and a couple other clan members took a seat around a table, looking expectantly at Minori. "Before we get started . . . you aren't coming to use cause you think we like to eat anything right? You're coming to use cause you know we are masters of nutrition and culinary art!" Minori was positive that Chouza was joking a little and the fact that he said all of this with a large smile and boisterous attitude aided this theory.

"Of course, but actually, I'm here cause you guys run the commissary that supplies shinobi with their rations before going into the field . . . you could be Uchiha for all I cared but luckily, you lot use your sticks for stirring pots rather than where the Uchiha leave them . . . same place as the Hyuuga actually heh" Minori replied and Chouza burst out in laughter that made the walls shake a little.

"So, let's see these rations then" Chouza said as he came down from his bout of mirth. Minori grinned and rolled a scroll across the table in front of the three Akimichi men.

"This is my meal scroll, it contains anywhere from one to ten Self-Contained Ration Packs and is designed to be easily carried in most packs or scroll pouches" Said Minori with a flourish before placing two fingers on the edge of the scroll and inserting a little chakra. The effect was immediate as three somewhat largish plastic packs popped out of the scroll and sat cleanly on top of it.

"Is this plastic?" Asked the left Akimichi, he was someone you might have mistaken for fat if you didn't know the Akimichi, especially with his somewhat pudgy cheeks. "These packs look like they'd take a hit or two and could even be submerged" He said as he held his pack and cast his critical eye over it.

"The pack is designed to be sturdy just in case the nin in question chooses to not have it sealed in a scroll or what have you and yes it is plastic" Minori said as she and the other two Akimichi watched the third member study his pack. Coming to the tear line Minori had placed into the plastic at the top, the man ripped it off and opted to lay it gently on the table before checking the contents. "Inside you will find a few more, and less sturdy, bags that contain various things along with the actual entree itself. Everything in the pack is designed to be nutritious, give energy and strength, and be easily able to be disposed of right back into the pack you got it from so that it can be re-sealed and leave no traces you were ever there. I've also included a small heating tag, a new invention of mine, that is designed to heat up for a few minutes, just long enough to bring the food to a good heat but it isn't necessary as the entree is edible cold, there is also spreads, treats and biscuits all of which intended to replace valuable nutrients lost during combat or exertion, finally there is tea and an electrolyte replenisher so that the shinobi in the field can make the most of a bit of water, oh and there are some paper towels, chopsticks and a couple other useful utensils" The Akimichi pulled each of the things out of the bag and studied them in turn as Minori explained them and their purposes, even the heating tag got a critical eye.

"What do you make of the tag Nori?" Asked Chouza, addressing the Akimichi who had been the one examining the pack and it's contents.

"I'm no seal master but it looks like it's just designed to create heat without smoke, fuel or even much light. Only lasts for a few minutes though by the looks of it" Said Nori.

"Ahh hot food in the field without giving away your position . . . so long as you can spare the few minutes that it takes to heat it up . . . and all this can go right back in the bag and sealed up again too so all you really need to do is take out the entree, scoff it down, put everything back where it came from and move out again, convenient" Remarked Chouza.

"Yes, but this all looks like it wouldn't taste as good as some good old fashioned home cooking" Said Nori as he sat the entree on top of the heating tag, applied some chakra and watched it heat the meal up.

"Well, no . . . certainly not an Akimichi's home cooking . . . but it's way better than food pills and ration bars and even has better nutritional value. You could live off this stuff indefinitely if you had to or wanted to. I'm the process of creating a variant for use by shinobi who expend more energy due to clan jutsu or simply require more nutrient to keep the size and mass needed for clan jutsu . . . I suspect I will need an Akimichi variant and an Inuzuka variant but hopefully, I can cater to both with a single ration"

"So how do I open this?" Asked the Akimichi as he looked down at the entree.

"Hmm? Oh" Minori said as she pulled out one of the bags and grabbed a little piece of metal that had a razor sharp hook on one end. Minori slid the hook across one of the entree and then used the hook to pull back the flap so she could tear it off.

"Ahh, clever, and beef stew with vegetables and rice! Hearty" Commented Chouza as he and the other Akimichi watched Nori pull out his chopsticks, pick up some food and try them with slow and careful procedure.

"Well, it's certainly good, not the best meal I've ever had but I could live off this . . . although I reckon you will need to make an Akimichi version, I'll need more food than this in the field, maybe add another entree and an energy bar or two" Said Nori and Minori nodded her agreement.

"So, think this would work?" Chouza asked Nori who nodded "Well then, I think we should talk about money" Minori didn't really want to charge too much when it would be the Akimichi who did all the leg work with her idea but she did need some.

"A small bit of royalty, nothing too high or that will drive up the prices, just a couple percentiles off the purchase price and that'll do me" She said to Chouza.

"That all you want? You sure? This is a good idea and these tags of yours could sell for a bit individually" Replied Chouza as he watched Minori, trying to figure out if she was just being modest or not.

"I'm intending to sell a different version of my heating tag to the standard commissary along with my own version of a shinobi kit. My other version is intended to be used to heat up sentries or what have you in cold climates without giving away your position . . . my first test with the tags was an absolute success . . . saved an orphan who was stuck on the street from dying of hypothermia. This along with my special belts that have slots to seal scrolls into as well as to put pouches means I shouldn't have a need to sell the cooking tag that I created individually" Chouza nodded at Minori's explanation

"Well, in any case, that'll just make it cheaper for the troops! And the cheaper food is, the more of it you can have! Say, you're pretty good a this Fuinjutsu stuff . . . I don't reckon you could teach some of my clan members a little bit of the stuff could you?" Said Chouza, resting his arms against the table while Nori started snacking on some salted biscuits.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind teaching you guys to make storage seals and arm or disarm some traps" replied Minori who was more than likely going to do it for free since it was a vital skill that always amazed her that it wasn't taught. "In any case, I have a meeting with a blacksmith named Higurashi . . . I'll drop on by during the week to begin some quick lessons"

* * *

"Greetings there! What can I do for you?" Asked a kindly man behind the counter of the weapons shop Minori had just walked into

"Ahh yes, I'm here about those seals I was gonna start putting on weapons for you" Replied Minori as she walked up to the counter. Playing around the shop was a seven year old girl with chinese style dress and her hair in two chinese style buns.

"Are you a kunoichi like Tsunade?" Asked the little girl who was suddenly beside her and looking up with large, twinkling eyes.

"Yes I am little one, in fact, I've even worked with Lady Tsunade on occasion and a lot of people say I'm better than her" Minori said back to the little girl and almost laughed as the girl's face changed nearly instantly.

"No you're not! Nobody's better than Tsunade! She's the number one legendary kunoichi!" The girl exclaimed, going into a tirade of how Tsunade did this and that.

"Would you be able to do a very big favour for me?" Minori asked Higurashi as she turned back to face him.

"You mean other than pay you for your services?" Laughed Higurashi "Of course, whatever you need although . . . if it's too expensive I may have to ask for payment, my shop does well but the materials to make the top notch gear isn't cheap" Minori chuckled a little as she unclipped her sword from the sash it was secured in.

"I can't unsheath my sword . . . well I can but then I'd have to kill you" Minori said as she held the blade in its sheath in both her hands.

"I'm not sure I follow, something special about the sword?" asked Higurashi with a frown as he studied the sheathed blade.

"Yadokawa family traditions dictate that a Yadokawa shinobi only ever draw their sword with intent to kill . . . meaning that if I draw my sword, I must kill or die trying . . . this is non-negotiable and thus an interesting problem has been made known . . . I can't draw my sword to maintain it" with that explanation, Minori reverently placed the sheathed blade on the counter in front of Higurashi with a bow.

"I take it the sword is special beyond your clan's traditions? Why not have them do it . . . unless . . ." Higurashi began to say before he trailed off at the darkened appearance of Minori.

"My clan is no more and you are right, the blade is special" Minori said and gently pushed the blade towards Higurashi.

"May I?" The smith asked and Minori nodded. Higurashi picked up the blade and slowly drew it, gasping as the blade was revealed to him.

"The Yadokawa maintained non-family attendants, sadly all have perished but that's neither here nor there. As for the weapon making, I'm not privy to the secrets but I have the meticulous records of those smiths so the secrets are not lost" Minori explained to the smith who was examining the weapon. The little girl was watching the whole proceedings with a fascinated expression.

"I'll gladly take care of your weapon whenever you need it to be cared for, I'm honored that you chose me for this, I will treat your sword with the utmost care" The man said with a faint grin.

"Thank you, I'll just be applying those seals you wanted if you have any questions" Said Minori and Higurashi nodded, leading her over to a stockpile of equipment while he took Minori's sword over to a bench to begin work on it. "So what's your name little one" Minori asked the young girl who was staring at her with twinkling eyes

"Tenten!" The girl joyfully exclaimed as she plopped herself down beside Minori cross legged. "Whatcha doin'?" The girl asked, watching Minori expectantly and with a massive grin.

"I'm applying Fuinjutsu seals to these weapons so that they have special properties like chakra enhancements, chakra storage and what have you, Fuinjutsu can do just about anything if you're clever enough, even create effects that emulate nin or genjutsu without hand signs or chakra. You know they say Fuinjutsu was around before ninjutsu and genjutsu" Minori said as she painted seals onto the various pieces of equipment.

"Really!? Can you do medical jutsu with Fuinjutsu?" The overly excitable girl asked.

"You want to be able to emulate Lady Tsunade huh? Well yes, Fuinjutsu can do medical jutsu but you have to be really really clever to be able to do medical Fuinjutsu" Minori had Tenten's undivided attention and she was grinning ear to ear. "You know what, why don't you study this here book" Minori pulled a book out of nowhere and handed it to Tenten. "It might be a little hard to read for you right now but it's a good start for Fuinjutsu" Tenten held the book that Minori handed to her as if she had just received a holy artefact. Tenten opened the book and tried to read the book and, to Minori's amazement, was actually succeeding. Chuckling Minori went back to work while Tenten read silently.

"I have finished the work on your sword, it's such a remarkable weapon" Higurashi said as he walked over to Minori with the blade now in its sheath.

"Yes, yes it is. Your daughter seems to have developed a fascination with Fuinjutsu" Minori said as she finished off the last piece of equipment and got up. Sensing that Minori had gotten up, Tenten looked up at her with her big eyes twinkling. "Here, eventually you will figure out how to seal and unseal the contents of this scroll, I'm entrusting them to you Tenten, it's a portion of my old clan library" again Tenten looked like she had just been handed a holy artefact as she reverently took the scroll from Minori. Tenten stared at the scroll with an expression of sheer wonder before she gave Minori a determined expression and nodded, fully accepting the role as guardian of that section of the Library.

"Now Tenten" Said Higurashi in a stern voice causing the girl to give the man her full attention. "The people who wrote the texts contained in that scroll are all gone now . . . the only thing of theirs that remains is in your hands. Any carelessness on your part and great knowledge could be forever lost, never to be recovered" Tenten's eyes widened at this revelation.

"Unless you wish to carry on that legacy of course, you have a book that will tell you how to unseal the knowledge contained within . . . you could learn that knowledge, embrace it and carry on the legacy . . . or you could simply hold onto those texts and make sure nobody ever takes them, the choice, and the legacy of the weapon smiths of the Yadokawa clan, lay in your hands now" Minori said to the girl who was almost shaking under the weight of responsibility that now rested on her shoulders before her expression hardened and Tenten gave Minori a determined expression.

" _The will of fire indeed"_ was what went through the heads of both Higurashi and Minori.

"I'm going to sign up to the academy next year! I will be a ninja like no other and this" Tenten held up the scroll she carried. "I will protect it with all the skill I will have, that is my nindo! My ninja way!" Minori grinned at the adorable little girl along with Higurashi.

"I'm counting on you Tenten" Minori said before ruffling Tenten's hair and walking off out the door of the shop before either could stop her.

"Well Tenten, this is a big responsibility you have, think you'll manage?" Asked Higurashi to his daughter whom had a rather curious expression on her face.

"Papa, I feel warm inside" Tenten said and Higurashi frowned before, with a widening of eyes, the scroll in Tenten's hands burst into a cloud of smoke, revealing a pile of books and scrolls. Higurashi picked up one, it was written in some kind of code but the diagrams suggested the book was on a new alloy formula. Higurashi dropped the book and picked up another one, a book that seemed to be a weapons manual, he picked up another one. "Papa" Tenten said and Higurashi turned his attention to his adopted daughter who was giving him a hard look. "Please put it down" She said with a very polite tone and Higurashi almost laughed, it seemed his daughter was going to take her newfound guardian role seriously.

"Can you seal all this back into the scroll?" Asked Higurashi as he handed the book he was about to read through to Tenten. Tenten in turn, pulled out the book she had been reading not long ago and flicked through it until she found was she was looking for. Nodding, Tenten placed all the scrolls and books together, gave one last look at her book and put it down, then made a series of hand signs and a puff of smoke engulfed the pile of texts. When the smoke cleared, all that was left was the scroll Minori had given her.

"Wait! Gaaaaagh!" Tenten cried out in horror, clutching her head as she panicked.

"What's wrong!?" asked Higurashi as he watched his daughter have a minor panic attack.

"I accidentally sealed the book of seals into the scroll!" She exclaimed and Higurashi burst out laughing. "D-don't laugh! Now how am I supposed to unseal it!? I'll figure it out, it can't be that hard!" Tenten unrolled the scroll and began trying different combinations of hand signs to try and unseal the contents again. "I just did this! How is it so hard that I can't do it again!?" Higurashi was rolling on the floor. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Tenten shouted before trying her seven year old best to beat the mirth out of her adoptive father.

* * *

"Ahh, Minori-chan, how are you settling in? It's been a few weeks since the last time I saw you" Said Sarutobi as he took a few steps away from Minori and his ANBU took a few steps closer. They were in the middle of the street on Minori's way back home and, even though he didn't expect it to happen, Sarutobi wasn't going to fall into any traps by Minori again.

"Quite nicely I must say, met another interesting kid too but you don't need that tale" replied Minori, placing her arm on Sarutobi's shoulder. Sarutobi himself was staring at the spot Minori had just been standing in with no small amount of shock since she now behind him and touching him. His senses told him that the ANBU were equally stunned and this caused Minori to laugh as she stepped away from the old man and gave him the space he was trying to put between them.

"You want the hat?" Sarutobi asked with a grumble as he pulled out his pipe and lit it with some fire chakra.

"You sounded a lot more serious about your offer when sensei died . . . I didn't accept then either, I don't want to take the hat . . . it was sensei's dream and now it's Naruto's, he'll get it some day I'm sure" Minori said looking forlorn as she did.

"You can't blame an old man for trying . . . especially after what happened" Said Sarutobi, his own forlorn expression on his face. "What do you know of the Akatsuki?" He asked, turning back to Minori

"Rebel faction based out of Amegakure, weren't important so just knowing where I can find them is enough for now but I have a feeling . . . I've got eyes on them . . . and you should too, something isn't right there I can feel it" Minori replied. "How's the Uchiha issue?"

"I should have known better than to think you'd not notice that . . . I assume you already have people in on it?" Said Sarutobi as the two began walking towards the Hokage tower.

"Of course, the things I'm being told though . . . I fear we may be dealing with someone that is almost at my skill level" Replied Minori and Sarutobi looked up sharply at her. "I had one of my old Uchiha buddies look into the problem . . . one clan meeting later and he was spouting anti-konoha rhetoric and going on about how the village is plotting against the Uchiha . . . I suspect Genjutsu, Uchiha variety . . . someone, probably from the clan, has gone rogue or maybe even turned coat" Sarutobi turned his head away and glanced in the direction of the Uchiha compound

"Hokage-sama! Should we really be having this conversation in the middle of a street? In daylight no less?" Asked one of the ANBU that had been trailing close by

"You let them hear the conversation?" Sarutobi asked Minori who just shrugged and suddenly the ANBU could no longer hear the conversation between Minori and the Hokage. "Speaking of spies, how is Jiraiya's next book coming? Any details?" At Sarutobi's question, Minori started giggling.

"Let's just say I was 'intimately involved' with this one" Minori said as she looked back over towards the Hokage "If anyone asks whether or not I knew he was spying, I will deny it . . . and if anyone asks about a certain seal on the wall that was done in a very Yadokawa-esk style . . . I will deny that too" Sarutobi began chuckling at Minori's comment. "Take care of yourself old man . . . we are in for some interesting times" Said Minori as she put a reassuring hand on Sarutobi's shoulder before detaching and heading back home.

"Hokage-sama, how was she able to prevent me from hearing your conversation? I was standing not three feet away!" Asked the ANBU that had spoken earlier

"Hmmm, you are awfully inquisitive for an ANBU aren't you" Replied Sarutobi and the ANBU retreated until he was out of sight at the veiled threat of treason.

" _Interesting times indeed"_ Sarutobi looked up at the Hokage Monument in thought "Wish you were still here Minato . . . I wonder how you'd have dealt with this situation" he said to himself before shrugging and continuing on his journey.

* * *

 **Well here we are at the end of another chapter.  
As always, I hope you all enjoyed and let me know what you liked, disliked, what you thought could be improved and what you want to see more of.**


	3. Chapter 3

**greetings everyone! another part here . . . someone told me that the last part got a bit too technical . . . anywho, this is finally where we start following Naruto around . . . honestly last part could have been part of the prologue since this IS meant to be a Naruto centered story with occasionally following another character around. in any case, I know I said I wasn't going to do anymore warnings but I am offering another one now.**

 **Warning!** **If you are Squeamish about blood, Do not continue reading this story!**

 **there, warning given, that's the last one . . . unless I write in something I haven't warned you guys about yet.**

 **in any case, I hope you enjoy, see you at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Part 2 The day before.**

"Alright, form three kata! Run through the entire thing for me!" Minori said to Naruto as the two stood in the middle of a training field that Minori had found in the middle of a forest and away from prying eyes.

"Awwwww! This is boooooring!" Whined Naruto in reply

"Naruto . . . you start at the academy tomorrow and they are gonna teach you the academy style . . . which is shit soooo I want to make sure you have this down because I only want you using the academy style while at the academy because a good spy never reveals themselves and always has a cover they can use" Minori replied, being patient with Naruto as always since it's all it took to get him to learn . . . that and treats. "Now, form three, from the top" Naruto complied this time with only a little grumbling as he moved through the kata for Yadokawa style form three taijutsu technique.

"Can we do something else now! Or are you gonna make me repeat this until the end of the day?" Asked Naruto looking like he was a little dejected in thinking that he already knew the answer.

"No . . . this time I think a practical application of your Taijutsu techniques are in order" Said Minori as she shook her limbs out before getting into the form three stance herself. Minori's stance had her with her arms in front of her face with her fists closed and the backs of her arms pointing outwards and her left foot forward just a touch allowing her to lower her weight into the ground whilst having the ability to rush forwards toward her target. Naruto grinned ear to ear as he settled into the exact same stance if only a little bit more rigid.

Minori moved first, using chakra to augment her speed and ferocity as she had already had Naruto practising using chakra augmentation and discovered his considerable amount of the stuff allowed him to move almost as fast as an experienced chunin at the moment even though he was only eight. Ducking to add her weight and momentum, Minori jabbed at Naruto's chest who in turn, shifted to the side at speed, bringing his own fist towards Minori's head whilst simultaneously launching a kick at Minori's shin. Minori checked Naruto's leg with her own while bringing her arm up to redirect Naruto's punch above her head before she pushed forward with her own punch and kick combo. Not stopping with one blow, Minori kept her combo going, her arms and legs flashing faster than the eye can track while Naruto desperately scrambled to check Minori's kicks and redirect her blows until he fell backwards, hitting the ground with a solid 'oompf'.

"Not bad, your footwork is improving steadily but still sloppy and your attacks are way too rigid. After that, not bad although you only attacked me once . . . the idea of form three is to not let your opponent have the time to perform flurries and combos, you are to get in their faces and attack with speed and ferocity or get out of the way of their attacks and attack from a different direction. If I wanted you to sit there and take hits I'd have taught you form two" Minori said as Naruto picked himself up and dusted himself off. He was still wearing his now distinctive grey kimono like Minori did but his kimono was worn over the top of a white shirt that had the orange Uzumaki swirl on it and a pair of blue shinobi pants that went down to his shin length shinobi sandals and were taped down to prevent making noise. Naruto very much looked the part of the aspiring ninja and he grinned as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Why don't you want me learning the academy style though?" Naruto said after a moment of grinning. "I know you said that a spy doesn't reveal themselves and always has a cover but I don't think that was the reason you actually had" Minori grinned down at Naruto and prided herself on a job well done of teaching the boy about hidden meaning, double truths and outright lies. Clearly his time with Aki was doing a world of good for him too.

"Naruto, as you are aware, a lot of people hate you, even your teachers may become . . . a little cold . . . so when people notice your taijutsu levels are through the roof . . . they may try and take action against you" replied Minori, her arm resting on her sword in her usual stance.

"Why do people hate me?" Naruto asked, giving Minori a pleading look. Minori looked down at the boy and his pleading expression, she knew she couldn't tell him but that didn't mean he couldn't figure it out for himself.

"Naruto, you have all the clues you need to figure this out for yourself. Look at your birth date, the events that have happened, your physical features and what people say about you when they think you aren't listening . . . put those pieces together and answer the question yourself" She said to the boy who immediately sat on the ground and settled into a cross legged position before he had even completely hit the ground.

"The Kyuubi attacked the day I was born" Naruto said as he thought on the matter, arms crossed and eyes closed. "I have unusual whisker marks on my face" He said, continuing the train of thought. "People call me the 'demon boy' behind my back . . . shit" It seems as though Naruto got his answer. "But how?" He asked, looking up at Minori again.

"Fuinjutsu can do a lot of things Naruto . . . and the best container for a living thing is another living thing as the thing you have sealed into an whatever you sealed it into will leak some power into the seal . . . if you have a person hold onto that, the excess chakra can go into the seal while the spillover from the seal can go into the person, increasing their capacity and strengthening the seal" Minori said, her own arms now crossed. "You have the rest of the day off . . . just remember Naruto, nothing has changed and that you are _not_ the Kuubi . . . you are it's prison and that prison's warden and in return, he can give you some of his strength . . . perhaps you should look into contacting the Kuubi one day as he might have something interesting to say" Minori said and was about to walk off when she felt Naruto get up behind her.

"What could the Kuubi possibly say that would be of any interest to me, it killed my parents!" Naruto said, anger colouring his speech just a little.

"Your mother was the previous Kuubi Jinchuriki . . . Bijuu don't extract themselves, at least not without warning" Minori said before disappearing into the trees of their little forest training field leaving Naruto alone with that thought.

* * *

"Hey Naruto! How are you? Ready to start at the academy! We might even get to eat lunch together!" came Tenten's cheerful greeting as Naruto walked into the weapon shop that Tenten was living in. "What's the matter Naruto? You look a little down" Tenten asked as she walked up to him to see if he was alright. She was wearing just a simple pink chinese-style short sleeved tunic that went to her thighs and over a pair of black shinobi pants. She and Naruto had known each other for almost two years now and had become almost inseparable, acting like siblings in almost every way so far.

"Nee-chan was just telling me some things . . . about my parents" Naruto said, still somewhat subdued. Instantly, Tenten's countenance changed and she gave Naruto a concerned look that said she knew exactly what Minori and Naruto had talked about.

"Nee-chan told you?" Tenten asked quietly, she had begun to call Minori that shortly after they started their first Fuinjutsu lessons.

"Not quite, she pointed out that I already knew all the clues and hints and all I had to do was to put them together" Naruto replied and the two walked over to sit in Tenten's little seal corner where she liked to study Fuinjutsu, it was out of sight of the rest of the shop but within hearing range of it should anyone come in and the area was covered in seals to make sure Tenten's work was never stolen. The two plopped down inside of the seal circle that Tenten had set up and pulled out books, Tenten's was on the alchemical composition of the mysterious Yadokawa alloy while Naruto's was on the practical application of bi-linear lattices. Tenten and Naruto both laughed when Higurashi needed to be told again slowly before decided to give up on the endeavour to understand it.

"So how do you plan on playing the academy? I mean . . . you're not going in as is are you?" Asked Tenten as the two got comfortable with their reading material.

"I reckon I should play the loud mouthed idiot . . . If I pretend that I don't know anything than most people will ignore me and that is good" Replied Naruto as he read his book. Despite the title, the book actually had nothing to do with Fuinjutsu and was more on the ability to create stories and construct lies by using nothing but the truth or what other people think is the truth, in essence, creating a story that follows two paths, 'bi-linear' and layered with various aspects of lies and misinformation in a lattice.

"Why are you so into spying and all that anyway?" Asked Tenten who much rather prefered beating her enemies senseless than sneaking around.

"That's what the first ninja were ya know, they were samurai who went ahead of the army to scout and that's how we first started using chakra cause the Samurai started using chakra and then when handsigns started coming in and jutsu were made, we started using those

To give us an edge on the enemy and making clans and all that stuff" Naruto explained, using his arms to express himself as always

"I wanted to be a medic-nin like Lady Tsunade . . . now I want to be the number one weapon's smith in the world but . . . I wonder if being a ninja is good for that goal?" Tenten said as she looked up from her scroll and over to Naruto.

"Blacksmiths go on a journey to further their craft right? And you have some pretty good techniques that people want to get their hands on . . . so I'm just saying that maybe being a ninja is great cause you can protect yourself and . . . that" Replied Naruto, pointing to the scroll that Tenten was reading to highlight his point.

The bell attached to the entrance of the shop chimed, letting Tenten and Naruto know that there was a customer and so they both got up and walked out to meet the customer. The man they saw had black hair that was spiked up almost defying gravity and had a casual, almost lazy slouch to him as he stood in front of the counter with his hands in his pockets and a smoke sitting in his mouth.

"I could have walked in, grabbed what I wanted and left before you two came out and even if you did, what's to stop me now?" Asked the man with a slight grin. In response, Tenten held up her hand in a ram sign and the seal under the door became visible until Tenten dropped her hand. The man chuckled when he saw that the place was all sealed up and he pulled out two knives that had clearly seen better days with all the notches and even a bit of the tip missing off of one. "My knives could use a little repair, do you think your dad or master could do it for me? These are some special knives" The man asked as he set the knives on the counter to be looked at.

"Hmm, nice chakra enhancing qualities I'd say but the metal used isn't the best for this sort of thing . . . especially not for wind chakra . . . sure you don't want new ones?" Said Tenten as she looked at the knives.

"Thank you young miss but I'll just get these fixed up if that's alright" Replied the man as he looked at her. Naruto noticed that the man's eyes flicked over to him for the briefest moment as if he wanted to make sure that Naruto hadn't moved and, just to be sure, Naruto decided to position himself behind the man just a little. The result was almost instant as the Man pretended to shift restlessly until he was facing both Naruto and Tenten and cut off Naruto's ability to move around without the man's notice.

"You're Sarutobi Asuma aren't you?" Naruto suddenly asked with a grin and Asuma turned his attention to the boy.

"How'd ya know?" He replied even though he hadn't actually answered the question.

"That sash marks you as a member or a previous member of the twelve guardian ninja and those knives suggest wind chakra, that narrows you down to the only prominent wind chakra user in Konoha" Replied Naruto, his grin widening at being able to figure all this out even if it was easy.

"Naruto! Stop doing that to all my customers! One of these days it's gonna be a foreign-nin and they're going to think you know something you shouldn't and kill you!" Tenten said before bopping the boy on the head. "I'll have papa look at these for you but seriously, consider better ones . . . these are gonna be tricky to repair with all this damage and they'll be weaker for it" She said to Asuma who was watching the two with a grin of his own

"Are either of you two in the academy?" He asked with an amused look.

"I am! And Naruto starts tomorrow!" Tenten said enthusiastically "I'm studying to be the best weapons smith ev-ow! Naruto!" Tenten's impassioned speech was cut short by Naruto bopping her on the head.

"Don't go shouting your life's goals to everyone! Who knows, maybe a few years from now someone might remember something you said and use it against you!" Naruto exclaimed before noticing Tenten was growling at him

"Settle down settle down" Asuma said, trying to calm them down whilst chuckling "I still need my knives repaired" The sound of the bells on the door drew everyone's attention as Higurashi walked in.

"I'm back and what's this?" He said as he walked over to the counter, giving a cursory glance to the weapons on the counter.

"This guy wants his knives repaired papa" Said Tenten as she handed the knives to Higurashi.

"Hmmm, you'd be better off getting new ones, I can fix them but even then I wouldn't advise using them in combat afterwards" Said Higurashi as he studied the knives in greater detail.

"Is there no way you can make them usable? I was told this was the best weapons shop in Konoha" replied Asuma, looking a little forlorn at the prospect of losing his favoured weapons.

"I'm sorry, I might be a miracle worker but these knives have just lost too much metal to be repaired that easily . . . Tenten, how is your little project going?" Higurashi said, drawing attention back to Tenten for a moment.

"Umm, it's going fine papa, I could probably make enough for a pair of knives . . . I think I have a book on that somewhere . . ." Tenten said as she ducked into the back area of the shop and started rummaging around. "Yup, here it is!" She said as she walked back out holding a small book. "I could definitely make some knives with help" Tenten batted her eyelashes at her adoptive father who chuckled

"Well then, let's see about those knives shall we. come back tomorrow Shinobi-san, we'll have those knives ready for you by then" Higurashi said before he ducked into the back area behind Tenten.

"Quite the family huh?" Asuma asked Naruto who grinned and nodded

"It gets even better when you add Nee-chan" he replied giving Asuma his fox grin.

"Who is this 'Nee-chan' of yours? It's not the first time I've heard her being mentioned" Asuma asked and only received a cheeky grin from Naruto.

* * *

"So, Naruto . . . what do you hear?" Asked Aki as she sat beside Naruto at the counter of Shota's restaurant. Naruto had occasionally taken lessons in listening to the goings on around him in order to learn important information and Aki had been the one to teach him which surprised him at first.

"There is a couple one column in and two rows down to my right. I think they're on a date but the guy is staring at you too much . . . why is that a problem?" Naruto said as he picked up a pair of chopsticks and got stuck into a steaming bowl of ramen.

"Ahhhh, that's because he is supposed to be paying attention to his date and not looking at me, which might make the girl jealous . . . anything else you notice?" Replied Aki and Naruto was sure she had noticed something important and wanted him to figure it out as well.

"Hmmmm, I'm not sure" Said Naruto as he cast missable glances around the room. "Wait, that guy in the right bottom corner has been staring at us for a while hasn't he?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to the side and looking up at Aki so that the person in question wouldn't be able to read his lips, something Aki had taught him early.

"Indeed, I'm going to go serve that couple on a date . . . and draw a little attention, see what our observer does" Aki said before getting off of the stool she was sitting on and walking over to the table that Naruto had pointed out.

"Hey, can I get you guys some tea?" Aki Asked cheerfully to a non-descript couple that sat opposite from each other while the man wore a sheepish look and the woman a scowl.

"If you want this whore so much you should ask HER out instead!" Snapped the woman to the man who ducked his head as if to hide in his clothes like a turtle.

"Oh? Are you interested in me?" Aki asked the man who wanted desperately to be anywhere but where he was. "I'm sorry but you're not my type" She said dismissively. "But you on the other hand . . ." Aki said as she turned to the woman "Sure you can't do better than a man?" Aki was smiling her typical eye smile and the woman turned bright red as she blushed.

"N-no thank you . . . I'm fine as I am!" She squeaked out and Naruto chuckled as he watched the scene unfold, even though he was a kid he could still understand a lot of complex adult stuff sometimes. "We'll have that tea now" The woman said in a small voice before Aki happily went back to the kitchen.

"Oh hey Aki! Can I have a cup of tea?" Asked Naruto and Aki walked over to pour him a cup, as she did, she bent over and naruto quietly spoke. "He never took his eyes off of me" Aki gave Naruto an odd look but before Naruto could figure it out, she closed her eyes in her eye smile again.

"Here you go Naru-kun, now tea for the lovely lady . . . and her boy" Aki said, saying the last part loud enough for the couple behind her to hear which was immediately met with a blush from the woman and she began to duck her head like a turtle. "While I do that, head on outside" She said to naruto quietly in an authoritative voice and Naruto nodded, gulping as he did from having heard Aki be serious. Naruto made sure to finish off his ramen first though before he got up and walked outside.

Outside, the sun was starting to clip towards the horizon and birds were chirping their final calls. It wasn't long before that strange man walked outside as well. As soon as he saw Naruto, he stopped and the two stared at one another. The man had brown hair that was cut short and a long black cloak that went to his knees that was buttoned up thus preventing Naruto from seeing what it hid.

In a flash, the man had a kunai in his hand and Naruto instinctively slipped into his Taijutsu stance. Before either could move however, a single senbon appeared in front of the man and lodged itself in the ground where his foot would have been had he not moved it.

"Who are you and what do you want with Naruto?" demanded Aki who materialised in front of Naruto, fans appearing in her hands with blades sticking out of them as she snapped them open.

"That brat's dad murdered my wife!" Growled the man and was about to take a step forward when Aki flashed forward, her fans moving faster than Naruto could track and the man was so surprised that he only managed to block one of the fans while the other slid across his throat. Naruto watched with wide eyes as the man dropped his kunai and grabbed his throat, trying desperately to stop the red liquid of his blood from rushing out. The man dropped to his knees and crumpled into the ground moments before three ANBU materialised around the gurgling man. Naruto threw up the ramen he just ate and collapsed himself.

"Shit . . . I'm so sorry Naruto, I'm so sorry" Aki said as she ran over to the boy. Naruto barely heard her however and barely felt it when she grabbed him and hugged him close. All Naruto could see was the man as he held his throat, his ears were filled with his dying gurgles and the air was saturated in the scent of his blood. Naruto blacked out at that point.

* * *

"Hey" Said Minori as Naruto regained consciousness. Naruto blinked a few times and looked around him, he was in his room in his and Minori's house. "Aki told me what happened . . . I suppose you are wondering why she just up and killed the guy right?" Naruto started shaking as the scenes of what had just happened to him flashed through his mind until, simply by putting her hand on his shoulder, Minori had him focus back on her. "Naruto, you are going to be learning to be a ninja starting tomorrow . . . we ninja kill . . . a lot" Minori said in a soft, soothing voice. "Don't get used to it but rather, find a way to get past the horror of taking a life . . . Me and Aki . . . we got used to killing, it's our go to method for dealing with . . . problems . . . promise me you won't do that" Minori looked deep into Naruto's eyes as she said this.

"I-I promise dattebayo" Naruto said, his verbal tick back due to the horror he had just gone through. Minori smiled sweetly and bent over, giving Naruto a kiss on the forehead.

"Now, that man that Aki killed . . . he was a missing-nin from Iwagakure . . . It was immediately apparent by what he said" Minori said as she sat on Naruto's bed. Naruto took the opportunity and snuggled up into her while Minori put her arm around him and rested her head on his own. "He said your father killed his wife . . . Your father did some things that Iwa doesn't like and that's why nobody told you who your father was because we didn't want Iwa getting word . . . as you can see, they would have probably sent a hit squad against you" Naruto nodded from where he was snuggled up into Minori. "I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow . . . probably before you get up in the morning so I won't be able to send you off"

"But . . . nee-chan, you said your job was only meant to stay in the village" Said Naruto quietly.

"Yeah . . . but I'm a very valuable ninja . . . Hokage-sama needs my skills for a very important mission that he can't trust to anyone else . . . you know, they'd call me Minori of the thousand faces if anyone knew those other two thousand nine hundred and ninety nine faces belonged to me" Minori said with a light chuckle.

"But you said one thousand!" Naruto replied as the math didn't even add up to a seven year old.

"That's because I've only been using one thousand faces in public . . . the other two thousand are for sneaking" said Minori and Naruto looked up at her, they shared a look and then burst out laughing. "Get some more sleep naruto, you have a big day tomorrow and it might be a touch difficult to get the sleep you need after today" Minori said as she got up and Naruto nodded, stripping to his underwear before getting under the covers of his bed. "Goodnight Naruto, sweet dreams" Minori said

"Goodnight nee-chan, see you when you get back" Naruto said, a soft smile on his face.

"Naruto . . . Stay safe and . . . I love you" Minori said. Naruto's eyes were wide at Minori's admission. He felt his chest clench up as he felt all warm and fuzzy inside and his eyes watered up.

"I-I love you too nee-chan" Naruto said quietly as he figured that was what he was feeling at that moment. Minori gave Naruto a sweet smile and turned away with a short wave of her hand and left the room. Naruto never say the tears that Minori had been holding back fall.

" _I'll see you when you come back Nee-chan"_ Naruto thought as sleep began to take him and all the delightful things he had done with Minori since he had met her two years ago.

* * *

 **Well, that's another chapter done. oh by the way, when I say Kimono (in terms of what people are wearing) I'm refering to the Kosode which is the 'shirt' of the Kimono 'suit' to use western terms here. I will use 'Kimono' to refer to the kosode but I will use the various words to refer to the other parts of the Kimono outfit if they should ever come up. did I know all this before I started writing this fic? nope, spur of the moment decision was that I should maybe know what it was that my characters were wearing led me to research this a little . . . I was surprised when I discovered that a Kimono was an entire outfit not a shirt . . . oh well.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed, please let me know what you liked, disliked, what could be improved and what you'd liked to see more of.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Greetings everyone! sooo this one is not gonna be my usual quality . . . personal issues (including eye trouble) have left me writing in dribs and drabs and definitely not at my usual "quality". Also, fair warning . . . I decided to do something a little controversial with the last section of this chapter and so this chapter contains a scene depicting nudity (but nothing sexual related) but yeah . . . let me know what you think of this chapter and I shall edit as needed.**

 **in anycase, see you at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Part 3**

Naruto grinned to the class he was joining and glanced around, subtly analysing everyone in the class. His eyes fell upon a girl with short purple hair that looked like she was trying to duck her head into her clothes like a turtle.

 _~~Flashback to two years prior~~_

"Hey looks at those funny eyes" Said a kid, his breath misting in the snow covered land as he terrorised a young girl with short purple hair half his height. "I think she might be a demon or something!" he said before he and his two buddies laughed themselves silly. The girl's only response was to sniffle and bring a hand to her eye to wipe away a tear that was about to fall.

"Leave her alone!" Came the voice of another boy and all four of the children turned to look at him. The kid was wearing a light grey kimono that was almost dragging across the ground it was that big on him but it only made him look all the more stoic as it was the the only thing protecting him from the cold air the brushed it around.

"Hey look at the shrimp!" Said one of the three bullies and the other two laughed in conjunction. "What're you gonna do about it?" he said and earned another round of laughter before the three kids walked up to the newcomer, confidant in being twice his height as well. The blonde kid that had joined them raised his arms to his face, fists clenched and knuckles facing the three bullies as they grinned. The middle of the three bullies went to throw a punch but, at the last second, the blond kid bunted the fist out of the way before dashing forward and punching him in the solar plexus, leading to the kid crumpling to the ground, desperately trying to get air back into his lungs. The blonde then pivoted on the spot and swung his foot into the left bully's knee, dropping him to a crouch where the blonde deposited a fist into his face. The last bully took two steps backwards before running away screaming while the middle bully picked himself up and grabbed his now unconscious friend and left in the same direction the runner had fled.

"T-thank y-you for helping me" The girl said, she spoke so quietly that almost anyone might have missed what she had said.

"It was nothing, I'm pretty sure those guys are academy kids but they couldn't even take a punch!" said the blonde punched his own hand to emphasise his point. "I'm Naruto by the way, Uzumaki Naruto" Naruto grinned at the girl who was staring at him with wide eyes. "You're a huuga right?" he asked and the girl giggled quietly, covering her mouth with her hand as she did.

"It's pronounced 'Hyuga' and I'm Hyuga Hinata" She said, a small smile adorning her features while Naruto beamed rays of sunshine at her. Hinata warmed up as though she was standing in the summer sun but when she looked up, she realised it was beginning to snow and that she could still see her breath. "A-aren't you cold in in just that kimono?" she asked.

"What this?" Naruto said as he figured his most prized possession "Nah, Minori-nee told me that it's full of seals and stuff that keeps me warm or cool if it's cold or hot" Naruto nodded as if agreeing to his own statement. "Hey! Why don't we be friends!" Naruto stated and the girl in front of him went wide eyed in response

"Uhh . . . o-okay" Hinata said, her voice lowering to extremely quiet levels while she twiddled her fingers and looked down.

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed, smiling ear to ear "My second friend ever!" he said shortly before wrapping Hinata up in a hug. Hinata went wide eyed as she was wrapped in the warm hug of Naruto, then she felt the heat from before rush to her face until it was burning and promptly blacked out.

 _~~Present day~~_

"Hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto said as he slid into the seating space next to the purpled haired Hyuga heiress, smiling the whole while

"Naruto-kun" Hinata greeted him as she gave him her own smile.

"Alright class! Now that we've met our newcomer" Said the teacher, Iruka was his name. "Let's get to work, I want everyone to open their textbooks to page one eighty six!" The class was filled with the sound of ruffling pages as the class all took out their books and opened them to the correct page.

* * *

A branch rustled as Minori sped through the treetops, darkness covering the landscape but her Uchiha disguise was still quite visible. Currently, Minori was a dark haired girl with a pony tail that came to her shoulderblades, stood a few inches shorter than her original self and wore the standard Uchiha dark shirt and pants with the Uchiha fan emblazoned on her back. She had seamlessly integrated herself into the Uchiha clan by using her connections to create a cover and her Fuinjutsu to change her appearance completely.

Minori came to a full stop, sweeping her hand across her face faster than the eye could track before launching a kick at similar speeds to the man who had just tried to lodge a Kunai into her face. The kick connected but Minori's follow up attack phased straight through the man and the pair leapt backwards to get a good look at each other. Minori had managed to attain the high ground by way of a branch higher in the trees than the one the man in front of her now stood on, this gave her the perfect place from which she could study him. His appearance was very bland with the only notable features being the dark cloak he wore that covered his entire body save for an orange swirl mask that covered all of his face save for his right eye which was emblazoned with a mangekyou sharingan.

"You are not an Uchiha" the man stated and Minori's eyes widened in shocked revelation

"O-Obito?" She asked, the voice all too familiar even though it had matured with age. Obito's eye widened as he realised he had been discovered but, even though she had spoken, Minori knew her changes to her voice would mean she would be totally unrecognisable. Obito phased through the tree branch and disappeared into the night, leaving the stunned Minori to look in the direction he had disappeared in.

* * *

"Is there something I can do to help you Minori-chan . . . it's quite late" Sarutobi said as Minori appeared in his office without warning or opening any of the windows or the door.

"You . . . Have . . . explaining to do" Minori growled in a low menacing voice while Minori flicked the guard of her sword so that it was loose and ready to be drawn. Sarutobi's eyes widened in shock as the implication that Minori actually wanted to kill him hit hard, so hard in fact that he was almost too late to save his ANBU's life as he raised his hand just in time to stop the ANBU who was staring at a kunai in Minori's hand that would have impaled his throat had the Hokage been a fraction of a second slower.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Hokage asked in a quiet whisper as he rose from his seat, ANBU on either side of Minori.

"The Uchiha" She said simply, she had abandoned her disguise before arriving at the Hokage tower so that she could be identified.

"They were plotting a coup Minori! And I had thought you would be the one to bring me this intelligence and yet you failed but Itachi succeeded!" replied Sarutobi but apparently this had been the wrong answer.

"Were you perhaps aware that Itachi was suspected by Fugaku to be spying on the Uchiha for you?" She asked in a quiet voice that only heightened the effect of her killer intent dousing the room. To her right, Minori noticed that the ANBU had begun to shake from the effects.

"Of course I was aware! Itachi told me himself" Sarutobi said, trying his best to get what Minori was hinting at.

"Then do tell me . . . do you find it suspicious at all that Itachi just . . . found the plans to the Uchiha coup laying around?" Minori asked, her voice quivering from the sheer rage she was holding back. Sarutobi's eyes went to the size of saucers as the implication hit him. "YOU FUCKED UP SARUTOBI!" Minori screamed and the two ANBU took a step back. "I told you there was someone behind the scenes! I told you genjutsu was involved, I told you what I was doing . . . I WAS THIS CLOSE!" Minori held up two fingers that were almost smushed together "I ALMOST HAD THE FUCKER!" Minori's booming voice made Sarutobi fall into his seat with a heavy thud. "It's sheer luck I managed to track him down for long enough that I got an ID on him . . . but you know what would have been better? Do you? Do you? DO YOU!" Minori's grip on her sanity loosened slightly and the sounds of the two ANBU who had passed out filled the heavy room whilst sweat dripped down Sarutobi's forehead and onto his desk. "There was supposed to be a meeting tonight. I would have seen him, I would have known who he was, I could have countered him, ended his plans, brought the clan back from the brink, YOU FUCKED IT ALL UP BY ORDERING THE ENTIRE FUCKING CLAN'S EXECUTION!" Minori was panting hard as she stared at the Hokage "Yes, I am aware that you only ordered Itachi to kill the ring leaders but you should have known this was going to happen, you should have trusted me" the killing intent vanished as Minori clicked her sword back into its sheath properly and began to leave the room. "Oh, get better ANBU these guys are a fucking disgrace" She said before vanishing into the night without opening the door or the windows.

* * *

"Hey Naruto! And who's your friend?" Came a familiar voice as Naruto and Hinata were walking down an alley together after class.

"Nee-chan!" Called out Naruto who ran practically tackled Minori who grinned and wrapped the boy in a tight bear hug. "Can't . . . breath" Naruto managed to wheeze out before Minori let him go and ruffled his hair.

"Hello, I'm Hyuga Hinata" Said Hinata politely with a short bow

"I think the bow should be a little lower than that since I'm Yadokawa Minori, the current head of the Yadokawa clan" Minori stated with a grin and watched as Hinata blushed in embarrassment for not knowing someone of that importance

"I-I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Hinata said, bowing almost ninety degrees

"Yup, beaten down right and proper like . . . alright, Hinata, tell your father I wish to take you for after school lessons in Taijutsu and other important areas" Minori stated with a sigh. Hinata rose and looked at Minori in surprise while Naruto gave Minori an approximation of an unreadable expression, he hadn't perfected it yet though and Minori could see the worry in her charge's expression. "Of course this will take place at the same time as I'm training Naruto soooooo you two will be training together . . . frequently . . ." Minori let that hang in the air and noticed that Naruto enjoyed that notion quite nicely while Hinata gave her an expression that had Minori desperately trying to hold in laughter. It looked for all intents and purposes that Hinata would have fought her father to the death armed with nothing but half a chopstick if he dared to refuse. Minori swore she could even feel the Killer intent coming off the girl.

"Okay, It shouldn't be hard to acquire father's cooperation" Hinata said in a voice as hard, and as cold, as solid steel, causing Naruto to stare at the girl with surprised eyes at the change. Hinata quickly ran off after that, leaving no time for Naruto to question her.

"I knew she likes me but damn" Naruto said quietly.

"Wait . . . you know she has a crush on you?" Minori asked, looking at the boy with pride, it seemed his training with Aki on how to read people was paying off after all.

"I didn't at first, I ended up having to ask Ino-chan a question to figure it out properly . . . I noticed that Hinata acted kinda weird around me and would blush a lot if I touched her . . . sometimes even passing out . . . So I asked Ino if she would do the same if Sasuke sat next to her and started touching her . . . she actually said no . . . but then said that a lot of other girls would since it's a natural thing that girls with crushes would do" Naruto explained, his hand on his chin as he remembered the incident. The two had begun walking in the direction of Shota's Restaurant as they talked.

"Can you tell me why this Ino said she wouldn't blush if Sasuke, I'm assuming he's the Uchiha kid yes? Sat next to her and . . ." Minori imagined a different scenario playing out that wasn't entirely appropriate for children "Held her hand . . ."

"You were imagining something dirty just now weren't you?" Naruto deadpanned. Minori grinned and gave him a thumbs up

"You know it! But that's beside the point, an errant imagination can get the better of anyone especially someone like me, it'll happen to you sometime in the future. The important thing to consider is that you don't act on that imagination . . . and preferably wait until you are considered an adult before writing down what you imagine if it happens to be . . . less than reputable, anywho . . . back to my question" Minori said

"I have a couple of theories . . . one is that she doesn't actually like Sasuke . . . which is strange considering how obsessed she is with him . . . I haven't been there long enough to get a good idea on things though . . . only three weeks since I started and Sasuke wasn't even there today . . . he's gonna be gone for a long while isn't he? I would probably need a few weeks to get over . . . that" Naruto looked down for a bit as he gave an impromptu moment of silence for the loss of the Uchiha clan. Minori waited the appropriate amount of time before adding saying.

"You should keep an eye on the situation, Maybe we can see if your theory is right or not hmm? And see if you can figure out if any of the other girls that fangasm over Sasuke actually like him . . . oh and yeah, he's probably gonna need a while and some counseling to get over what happened" The pair fell into a companionable silence as they walked before Naruto broke it.

"I love you Onee-chan" He said and Minori melted inside.

"I love you too Otouto" She said before wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulder and drawing him into her side as they walked.

Anyone watching would have seen the love and happiness the two were radiating. Some of the people who did see them pass them in the street smiled at the scene before going about their business, only dawning on them later who Naruto was but by then, all they would see in their mind's eye was that smiling kid being hugged by his older sister.

* * *

"Okay Hinata, I'm gonna work on your Taijutsu" Minori said to the demure girl in front of her as she, Hinata and Naruto occupied their secluded training field.

"I-I'm not too good at Taijutsu" Hinata said in a quiet voice with her head down and her hands together, twiddling her fingers.

"Shut up" Came Minori's voice and Hinata's head snapped up, a stricken look on her face. "Don't talk, take your Taijutsu stance" Minori commanded.

"B-b-but" Hinata tried to stammer out

"I said shut up and take your stance!" Minori exclaimed, leaving no mercy in her tone or face. Hinata fearfully complied, standing hesitantly in her standard Juuken stance. Her stance was sloppy due to Hinata being scared but it was still a stance. "Good, you can sorta follow orders . . . now, defend only, you will not attack, you will defend" Minori stated before moving at the girl and launching attacks that were slow enough for Hinata to block. Hinata tried but her fear got in the way and her worry of failing caused Minori to hit Hinata hard enough to jolt the girl back to the present situation. "Defend Hinata! Don't think, defend! Your only actions should be to block my attacks!" Minori commanded as she went back to attack and this time Hinata made a better show of it.

Minori's attack and Hinata's defence lasted for some time but after several minutes, Hinata noticed that something was happening to her stance. While it still felt normal, as she defended, her arms were moved slowly but surely until they were in different positions and Hinata's stance shifted slightly as Hinata moved her weight to help counter each blow. Each of Minori's attack caused Hinata to have to move her arms in ways that were different to Juuken but as she did so, her arms repositioned and the defensive movements became easier and easier. An hour after they began, and with Hinata panting from the exertion, Minori stopped. Hinata was standing in a similar stance to the one she was in before but different all the same. Instead of having her arms apart and palms downward with a wide stance, one foot in front of another, she was standing in a more solid stance, her feet at a normal interval in line with her shoulders and her arms in front of her with her fingers facing Minori, palms upwards.

"Well done Hinata-chan" Minori said while smirking. Hinata was wide eyed as she stood there panting. She was standing in a completely different fighting stance, one she had never seen or heard of before and one she certainly had never been taught but it felt natural.

"W-what is this?" Asked Hinata, panting still.

"It's the Mizuken, I made it and I called it the Mizuken because you are meant to flow around your opponent like water and use their strength against them. The harder you hit a body of water, the stronger it becomes before it flows around you and drowns you" Minori said, looking at the girl. "Alright, come over here so I can see your chakra affinity"

"M-my chakra affinity?" Asked Hinata as she dropped her guard and walked over to Minori.

"Yup, everybody's chakra has an elemental affinity or two and sometimes even three" Minori explained before pulling out a piece of paper "This is chakra paper, specially designed to tell you what your affinity is when you channel chakra into it. I assume you know how to channel chakra?" Hinata nodded her head at Minori's question and took the paper from her.

"So I j-just hold this and channel some chakra into it?" Asked Hinata and Minori nodded in response. Hinata did just that and, in a blinding flash, the paper burst into flames so strong that Hinata dropped the paper and took several steps backwards, her hand red and blistering from where the intense flames burnt her

"Well . . . I think you might have a fire affinity . . ." Said Minori as she, Naruto and Hinata stood around the remains of the chakra paper that was still on fire and quickly lighting the surrounding grass alight as well.

"You reckon? Maybe she has a water affinity? How can ya tell?" Said Naruto sarcastically as he applied burn cream to Hinata's hand.

"Well, you've literally got fire within you Hinata, now you just need to learn to channel it" Minori stated as she nodded in agreement with her own assessment.

"B-but my clan's Juuken . . . we aren't supposed to use Ninjutsu . . ." Hinata said as she raised her hands to twiddle her fingers until Minori grabbed her hands and forced them by her side. Hinata looked up with a startled expression before trying to look at the ground to her right until Minori grabbed her chin and forced her to look into her eyes.

"Fire, Hinata, fire is raw, fire is ferocious and fire is life giving. You have the ability within you to be fire, you have the strength to live up to your affinity and all you need is the will to do so." Minori let go of Hinata after that and trudged into the middle of the training field. "Now, we learn how to tame and control fire" Minori said with a grin.

* * *

"Welcome back Hinata" Minori said as Hinata and Naruto entered the secluded training field

"Huh? Wasn't this an open grassy field yesterday?" Hinata said as she looked around at the forest clearing she had entered. Minori, for her part, merely grinned.

"Yes, yes it was" She said cryptically. "Alright Hinata, strip" Minori said, cutting off further thoughts on the training field's shape shifting nature.

"W-w-w-what!?" Hinata spluttered out as her face went bright red. Even Naruto did a double take at Minori's command.

"You heard me, I said strip, all of it, I'll let you keep your panties for . . . practical reasons . . . but I won't complain if you shed those too" Minori replied and Hinata had to work hard to not pass out.

"Hey hey! Nee-chan that is not necessary at all!" exclaimed Naruto as he moved over to the heavily blushing Hinata.

"I think it is actually . . . it will help Hinata in the long run . . . and it will help you too Naruto, what happens if some enemy konouchi uses her feminine charm to seduce you on mission and kill you or worse, get you to defect" Minori said and, as she hoped, Hinata got a hard look in her eyes.

"I-I-I'll do it" Hinata said in an almost inaudible voice. Naruto was about to keep up with the defence when he had heard this and turned around to look at her. Hinata looked up and saw Naruto before blushing heavily and looking down while twiddling her fingers.

"Hinata, If you don't want to, you can leave and I won't force you to come back if you don't want to do this . . . but it will help in the long run and not just Naruto" Minori sid, looking at the girl with some concern as she looked about to faint.

"I-It's o-okay" Hinata stuttered out, moving away from Naruto as she slowly took off her clothes, right down to her panties which she was about to remove.

"Stop" Called out Minori. "Leave them on . . . small steps I guess . . ." Minori said before turning to Naruto. "Wouldn't want the girl to get lonely now would we?" She said and grinned as Naruto started blushing but he took less convincing and removed his clothes down to his boxers. "Great!, now we are going to go through our Taijutsu forms and do some serious exercise! Oh, by the way, exercising with limited clothing on is actually beneficial to you, I'll explain more some other time but let's start with a warm up, run around the clearing while i slowly start increasing the air resistance!" Minori said with a grin before making the blushing kids run around the clearing.

"S-so w-what are we doing now?" Asked Hinata in a quiet voice as she tried desperately not to look at Naruto. Minori however, grinned.

"Why, you and Naruto are gonna spar hehehe" Minori said and both Hinata and Naruto started blushing heavily. "And then I'm gonna start on elemental training for you Hinata, I want you to be able to at least to some base level Katon jutsu such as the Goukakyuu no jutsu but it's gonna take some work" Hinata was only able to nod before Minori forced the two kids to spar, much to their embarrassment.

* * *

 **Alright, we come to the end of another chapter . . . this is actually slightly shorter than the other chapters (i have been trying to keep them around 4500) and if you are reading this, you know what i mean by slightly controversial but allow me to defend my actions! Hinata needs confidence but more to that, studies have shown that working out in the nutter is actually better for you than say wearing long sleeves and track pants (just ask the greeks and romans, they used to do it and they had some of the best troops in the world) also, as for my personal issues . . . yeah, probs not gonna let up soon but I have the time to write so I shall write (the problem is if I get distracted) I am also currently writing a story on the side (I will upload it when i'm confident it reads okay) but for now, here is the next chaper.**

 **As always, tell me what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of.**

 **take care**


	5. Chapter 5

**Greetings everyone! first of all, this is a much shorter chapter today . . . it's a brief piece about some of Minori's past but this is here so I can inform you all that this story is going on the back burner for a little bit while I go off on a tangent and write some about a story that popped into my head approximately an hour and half ago (as of the time I write this) and is a Star Wars/Naruto crossover with an OC . . . the idea struck me and I'll explain more in that specific story when I get around to uploading it. in any case, hope you enjoy this brief piece, see you at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Part 3/4**

Minori signed as she looked at Kakashi's vacant stare.

"Kashi-chan . . . you still have me ya know" She said to the boy, he was only fourteen and had lost two people had cared about. Kakashi said nothing in reply but merely studied the team of Iwa-nin that were strolling through this section of the forest that Kakashi and Minori were in. "I figured you'd like to know that I made Jounin . . ." Minori said quietly.

"I know, you told me yesterday, the day before and the day before that . . . plus I found out two weeks ago when you actually made jounin" Kakashi said and Minori grinned.

"There's someone up there!" Hissed one of the Iwa-nin

"Shall we do the dance with no pants?" Minori asked with a cheeky grin.

"That's a poor euphemism for sex" Kakashi replied as he lifted the band of his hitai-ate that he had taken to wearing over his sharingan eye.

"I know, I was talking about when we are done with these losers . . . imma be making explosions and you know how I get around explosives" Minori said before giggling a little at the thought of what was to come. Kakashi said nothing but gave a quick glance in Minori's direction, the only instruction she needed before flinging a handful of Kunai at the Iwa-nin. The Iwa-nin all dodged out of the way of the Kunai but didn't leap away as they probably should have done.

"Damn Konoha brats!" One of the Iwa-nin growled out.

"Hey guys! Wanna play? First things first . . . one little itty bitty problem" Minori said with maniacal glee "Time delay explosives" Almost as if on command, the Kunai all detonated in a flash of yellow light. Minori and Kakashi glued themselves to the branch they were on with chakra while the screams of the Iwa-nin echoed just above the sounds of the explosions themselves. Kakashi stole a glance at Minori and was almost worried at the barely restrained squeal of delight she was emitting. His sharp eyes noticed a few other details including the liquid trailing down her leg.

"How sane are you?" Asked Kakashi simply as the smoke began to slowly clear.

"Sanity is for the weak, I can keep a hold of it when I want to but for all intents and purposes, my bloodline drove me mad ages ago . . . speaking of which . . ." Kakashi had noted that Minori wasn't wearing the chest, arm and leg coverings that Kushina-san had been making the girl right now and in their place, dark blue lines travelled from Minori's forehead, down her cheeks, down her chest, framing her barely covered breasts, down her arms and right down until the disappeared into her boots. No wonder she was in such a state, that bloodline of hers would have had her feel every subtle vibration those explosions gave off.

"There's still one alive" Kakashi said as he noticed that one of the Iwa-nin was attempting to crawl away, leaving a bloody trail behind him where one of his legs should have been. Minori and Kakashi landed gracefully in front of the man who looked up at them with fearful expression.

"Damn you Konoha brats! Damnit! I promised my little girl I'd be back in time for her birthday" The Iwa-nin said, his look turning into that of a defeated man.

"Well orders said no survivors" Minori said with a shrug before pulling out a Kunai and ending the Iwa-nin.

* * *

Back at the base camp, Minato was the one to greet the pair.

"Sensei!" Kakashi called out, emotion appearing in his voice as we walked over to the blonde champion.

"So, was the mission successful?" Minato asked, ruffling Kakashi's hair.

"Iwa must be scraping the bottom of the barrel . . . those guys we took out were low chuin grade, they couldn't escape the blast radius of my Kunai bombs . . . well one did . . . sorta . . . he was missing a leg but that was it before we came over and finished the deal" Minori said nonchalantly. Minato frowned, it wasn't good that the girl was so desensitized to killing in such a brutal fashion, he'd have to talk to Kushina about it later.

"Well, in any case, good work you two, I wish we could have some time off but Kumo is pushing and I need you two to deal with that but don't worry, you can go home for a little bit after that" Minato said as he looked at the two young jounin.

"My offer still stands Kashi-chan" Minori said in a sing-song voice before pressing in close to him "It'll help take your mind off of things" She said just loud enough for him to hear.

* * *

Minori panted from exertion with a happy smile on her face.

"I think we both needed that" She said to the other occupant of the bed who was a stark naked Kakashi. "Who would have thought you had staying power eh Kakashi?" a grunt was heard beside her before Minori rolled over and on top of the boy.

"I hope you know that this isn't the start of a regular relationship" Kakashi said. Minori sighed nuzzled into him some more.

"You're slinking into a pit of despair . . . let me in occasionally okay? A little human contact to remind you that you are one too . . . it's better than thinking everyone is against you or worse . . . that they think you purposely killed her" Minori kissed Kakashi's neck softly. "This doesn't have to be a relationship, just a reminder you are human"

"Is that how you do it?" Kakashi asked Minori had told him about how she had watched her entire family get murdered when she was back in Kirigakure.

"Hey Kakashi . . . one of the Kiri-nin that you killed after Rin . . . he was a guy I had a crush on before I left" Minori said, causing Kakashi to stiffen. "At that moment he was my enemy of course but it still hurt . . . would I have done the same thing you did? Yes" Minori said "As for how I get by with the mental image of my baby brother's brains being plastered over a wall like so much paint . . . this helps a lot, it's not the sex, it's the contact" Kakashi nodded before wrapping his arms around Minori.

"Then we can do this again . . ." Kakashi said "Sensei's coronation is tomorrow" Kakashi looked at Minori and narrowed his eye just a fraction, barely noticeable but indicative of one being an ANBU. Minori smiled sadly as she narrowed her eyes to the same degree he did and Kakashi nodded.

"Maybe we'll be on the same team again but it's unlikely . . . my skills have been noted in other more intimate areas . . . that and I'm a master at infiltration and espionage" Minori said before getting up, straddling Kakashi and giving him a mischievous smile "Round two?" she said while grinning at Kakashi.

"Aren't you sensitive along the lines that your bloodline produces? Even while the bloodline is deactivated" Kakashi asked and received a widened grin and light chuckle as his answer. "I'll just have to figure it out then"

* * *

"I'm not staying Kakashi" Minori said, her eyes holding the depths of her sadness . . . I will bounce back, not the first time I've lost my family" Minori said as she sat on the fourth's head with Kakashi.

"Where are you going? If you become a missing-nin I'll no doubt be the one to hunt you down" Kakashi said, looking at Minori with almost a hint of desperation. Minori giggled.

"I'm a spy remember? I got the third's permission to go out into the field and make sure that the other nations, specifically Iwa and Kumo, don't get any funny ideas or if they do, none that we don't know about" Minori said glancing up at the moon. "Keep an eye on Danzo . . . things aren't quite what they seem around that man . . . they never are when you have a shadow organisation. I don't disagree with his methods, I am just wary of his motives" Kakashi started and looked at Minori.

"How could you possibly know?" Kakashi said quietly, eliciting another giggle from the blonde girl.

"I'm a spy remember?" She said simply before turning to the person who was rapidly becoming a full grown man and his exposed arms were definitely a plus. Minori looked at Kakashi for a brief second before reaching out a hand to his face. She let it hover for a moment, letting Kakashi react before pulling down his mask and pressing her lips to his. "Remember me Kakashi" and suddenly Minori disappeared into the night.

* * *

 **Well here we are, I know I have been updating slowly (this is due to me having to plan some of these new chapters . . . i have an outline of how this story is supposed to go . . . not how all the chapters are supposed to go . . . next chapter I write for this story (whenever I do that) Will be another small one and will be an interlude between the last one and Naruto's graduation . . . I feel like i have been writing an overly lengthy prologue . . .**

 **as always, let me know what you liked, disliked, what could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of take care.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Greetings everyone! I didn't think I'd be returning to this story literally the next day but here I am! not only am I uploading this chapter but as I write this I am already working on the next chapter though that won't be done for a few more hours yet . . . let me tell you, things heat up in the next chapter. oh yeah, a guest asked me via review if this was a Minori x Naruto paring . . . clearly they haven't been paying attention to the story but in case it's not as obvious as I thought it was. No, Minori is not going to be paired with Naruto . . . not romantically anyway. as for who Naruto will be paired with? wait and see. is it Hinata? maybe Tenten? or someone we haven't met yet at all . . . maybe I've genderbent Gaara and Naruto will be paired with fem Gaara? actually . . . now that I think about it that's a great idea for another story *pulls out a notepad and writes it down* well I'll leave that for another time. anyway, hope you enjoy, see you at the bottom!**

* * *

 **Part 4**

Sasuke watched the blonde haired idiot as the class lined up for practice. Like any civilian born brat, Naruto had signed up to the academy at the age of eight, and was on his fourth year but in that time he hadn't even learnt to throw a Kunai straight.

"Dammit Naruto! You've been here four years and can't even throw your weapons!" Shouted out the instructor. "Look at this kids! This idiot had four years and still can't get his form right!" Sasuke couldn't be certain but when Naruto ducked his head and looked away, he thought he saw a smirk. Looking back at where the Kunai landed his eyes widened in shock. The weapon had hit the bullseye on the target two targets down from Naruto.

"Impossible" Sasuke said to himself quietly before shaking his head. He was imagining things, that's all there was too it. The idiot of the class could not be that could at throwing.

"Sasuke, why don't you and Naruto spar so we can see how a real shinobi in training does things" Called out the instructor. Just another faceless chunin was all the man was to Sasuke and Naruto was just his next victim right now as he got into the circle they used for sparring matches

Sasuke settled into his fighting stance while Naruto settled into the sloppiest stance he had ever seen. Naruto had grown into his kimono shirt over the last four years even if it was still a little big but Sasuke didn't pay much attention to the boy's clothes. At the single from the instructor, Sasuke dashed forward aiming to end this fight before it even began and prove without a shadow of a doubt that the boy was just the class idiot. Sasuke came in low, his leg coiled and launching a kick that would leave Naruto on his back side, when the boy jumped back and out of the way of the Naruto did this, Sasuke could have sworn he felt a light tap on his shoulder but there was no way Naruto could have done that so he pressed his advantage forward. The blonde's blocks were sloppy, every strike barely redirected in time to stop Sasuke from hitting him and even then Sasuke landed a hit, even if Naruto had managed to take all the power from the strike it was still a hit and soon, Naruto fell on his arse groaning.

"That will do!" Called out the instructor. "And here we see a real ninja in training everyone" Sasuke turned around and all bar one of the females had hearts in their eyes and were screaming loudly about how awesome he was. Sasuke noticed the one girl who wasn't, she was a Hyuga and her eyes held a degree of amusement. It was as if she found Naruto's humiliating defeat funny but didn't want to let anyone know that. Sasuke's eyes widened as he finally noticed that for all his attacks, the only hit he landed had all the power drawn out of it when Naruto twisted his body just enough. No, there was no way the idiot had beaten him in a taijutsu fight, he was imagining things, the boy fell over from his onslaught and yet . . . Sasuke never actually hit him. Sasuke growled as he stormed away, leaving the string of girls demanding dates to themselves.

* * *

After school, Sasuke decided to follow Naruto and see where he went and what he did. The boy left the academy and began walking down the street, seemingly oblivious to the tail he had picked up as he walked. For a second there it looked like he would meet up with the Hyuga girl as the two stopped and looked at each other for a second before going their separate ways. Sasuke followed Naruto of course and didn't pay any more attention to the Hyuga girl, there was nothing to worry about there.

Part of the way down one of the less used streets that Naruto was traveling down, three men came out and stood in front of him. They each pulled out small civilian knives that you'd commonly find in the kitchen, said a few things to the boy and began squaring off for attack. Sasuke snarled as he realised he was gonna have to step in and save the boy it seemed and took three steps towards the group when the first flashed his knife towards Naruto and everything went into slow motion. Naruto's hand redirected the blade until it passed his head just enough that it wasn't a threat before he grabbed the man's arm, latched the man into him, ran his elbow into the man's solar plexus and was swept off his feet when Naruto bent his knee next to the opponent, the force of the elbow strike and the displacement of his knee manoeuvre knocking the man flat on the back. This all happened in the time it took Sasuke to take a fourth step who stood there gaping at the boy who had moved so fast he could barely keep track. The other two men tried their luck but were met with similar results when their knives were pushed in front of Naruto before he kicked the left one in the side of the knee, bending the knee at unnatural angles with an audible snap echoing around the street while Naruto twisted around and slammed his fist into the man's gut, using the momentum and his own weight to make his fist travel upwards until it hit the man's jaw who crumpled without another sound. Naruto kicked the knife of the first guy away from him and gave the man an impassive look. A few seconds later an ANBU appeared out of nowhere, took one look at the scene and the knives still in the hands of the attackers and nodded to something Naruto said. The boy took off at a leisurely walk after that. Just before Naruto got out of sight, he tossed a look over at Sasuke who was still frozen on the spot, and grinned and then he was gone.

"What just happened?" Sasuke asked nobody in particular

"Nothing" said a quiet but calm voice right behind Sasuke who twirled around so fast he nearly broke his neck.

"How long have you been following me!?" Asked Sasuke angrily as the Hyuga girl gave him a small smile.

"About as long as you have been following Naruto-kun" She said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"How didn't I notice you at all?" Sasuke asked, taking a step back.

"I have the Byakugan remember? I can see through walls" The girl replied "Please don't mention what you have seen here today . . . it may cause problems" with that Hinata walked off, going in roughly the same direction as Naruto.

* * *

"So brat, you give your shadow a stern talking to?" Minori asked Naruto as he and Hinata sat on the green grass of the rolling grasslands that Minori had made the training fields today. Naruto was in a pair of skin tight shorts that stopped at his knees while Hinata was wearing a sports bra and a similar pair of shorts, Minori had decided that she needed a little more clothing as she came into development. Hinata had grown her hair out until it was just brushing the tips of her shoulders while Naruto had left his spiky so he could look more like his father, even if he didn't have Minato's bangs.

"I did, we agreed that I'd tail him and see what he was doing and then some civilians wanted a piece of Naruto so he was forced to demonstrate some of his moves and that required a conversation with Sasuke" Hinata reported as she stretched her hands behind her head before falling back onto the grass and relaxing comfortably.

"Excellent! It can't be helped when you have to blow your cover to save your life sometimes so it will be prudent to keep an eye on Sasuke in the future . . . now . . . Hinata, you and I are gonna do some flexibility training and flow work while you, Naruto, are doing stamina and strength training . . . start running brat" Minori said and both Naruto and Hinata got up while Naruto started running, the air resistance kicking in until it was like he was running through sludge.

"I've still been practising Juuken at home" Hinata stated calmly as she slipped into her modified Mizuken fighting stance. "Father is concerned that my improvement in it has been limited" the girl said as she began to move through the Mizuken katas at labouriously slow speeds.

"I'll have a chat with him . . . I have a few things I want to discuss with Hiashi anyway" Minori said before grabbing Hinata's hip and moving it into the correct position it should be. Minori was proud of the achievement of getting Hinata out of the blushing at every turn phase and now Hinata could even playfully tease Naruto . . . only Naruto and only if they are alone but improvements are improvements.

* * *

"So Naruto, when are you coming to visit?" Asked Tenten, sitting at the bar of Shota's restaurant, Naruto beside her. The pair had a plate of Teriyaki lamb in front of them and Naruto was blazing through it like he hadn't eaten in days.

"Errrm when I umm uhhhh soon!" Naruto managed out and Tenten gave him a look with fire appearing in her eyes.

"Exactly how soon?" She asked in a sickly sweet tone, causing Naruto to break out in a sweat.

"Tomorrow!" Naruto squeaked and suddenly the aura of impending doom was lifted and Tenten went back to her meal.

"Great! I know we can't see each other as much anymore since I have a genin squad and you will have one when you graduate but still" The girl said "Be a shame to lose my childhood friend" Naruto looked over at the girl as she looked off into space whimsically and wondered if she had a crush on him as well. He was kinda worried what HInata would think about Tenten since the two hadn't even met yet some how.

"I need to get my sword anyway" Naruto said and Tenten snapped her attention to him.

"Yeah . . . it took me forever to get the right alloy composition you know . . . but now that I have it, I've been making Kunai with it and kitting myself out with them . . . your sword is ready by the way, you just need to put the finishing touches on it with fuinjutsu . . . speaking of which how is your newest creation going?" Tenten said

"Actually it's done! It's great! Although, instead of granting invisibility like I had hoped, the seal does make me invisible to chakra sensors. In other words, as long as I stay out of direct line of sight, I should be fine" Naruto replied before shovelling some more lamb and rice into his mouth.

"We so need to try that!" Tenten said, looking excited by the prospect. "Do you have one on you right now? Can I see it?" Tenten asked excitedly as she turned to face Naruto. She only ever got more excited by weapons, the girl was an absolute weapons nut

"Of course! You never know when you need to disappear" Naruto said before taking out a tag the size of his hand with the seal array on it. Tenten studied the seal intently before grinning.

"This is genius! It's so simple it's brilliant!" Tenten exclaimed, Naruto noticed that most of the restaurant had turned their attention to them but Tenten wouldn't stop now so he may as well humor her. "All this does is stop the scent particles from spreading away from you, smooth the airwaves out when you make any vibrations and cast a form of chakra suppression that would require you to be right on top of a chakra sensor for them to sense you!" Tenten observed and behind them several of the shinobi that was dining there were widening their eyes as they realised the potential.

"Tenten . . . the details of this tag are going to be in Iwa by sunset" Naruto commented idly and Tenten stopped what she was doing to look around before giving a sheepish grin and rubbing the back of her head

"Sorry Naruto . . . I can make it up to you!" Tenten said as she looked at her childhood companion.

"That bathtub that messages you?" Naruto asked and Tenten grinned while nodding. Normally she reserved that invention of her for herself so allowing Naruto to use it was great recompense for possibly blowing the lid on his invention.

"I'll let you use it and even teach you how I did it" Tenten said arms folded across her chest.

* * *

"You didn't say there would be a full blown ceremony!" Naruto exclaimed as he stood just outside of Minori's secret training ground with the woman in question.

"No, I didn't, I wanted to see what would happen when we put Tenten and Hinata in a room together" Minori said before chuckling

"Well I'm his childhood friend! You just came into it when he entered the academy!" Came the voice of Tenten as she tried to defend her right to be there. "Besides! I made the sword!"

"Really nee-chan? Really?" Naruto asked and Minori giggled

"Really" she said before giggling at the display of Hinata and Tenten having such an fierce staring contest that you could swear you could see electricity sparking between them.

"Well Naruto-kun saved me from people who wanted to hurt me! What has he done for you!" Hinata said back. Naruto's eyes snapped open wide

"Oh dear god' Naruto said as he knew exactly what Tenten was going to say.

"Well, he gives such a wonderful message as I found out just yesterday! And we bath together . . . what do you do with him huh?" Tenten proudly announced while Hinata's face went bright red. Naruto was about to take a step back and flee until Minori pushed him into the clearing and both girls snapped their attention to Naruto.

"She was fully clothed, demanded I do it and she was only bathing with me because she was showing me how to make the seal array on the bathtub she made" Naruto said at hyper speed. "Also me and Hinata used to train together . . . without clothes" Hinata blushed again and was looking at the floor, twiddling her fingers while a pleased smile occupied her face.

"Heh! We should totally have a girls night out Hinata!" Tenten said, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulder who looked back up at her. "And we can share stories" Hinata grinned mischievously

"Erm . . . I think I just remembered I needed to be in Kumo by yesterday" Naruto said

"Alright! That's enough fun and games! Time to get serious" Minori called out before standing in front of a circle. "Before we do this, Naruto . . . this will officially be your adoption into the Yadokawa clan . . . and as my official younger brother . . . you would no longer be Uzumaki Naruto and instead be Yadokawa Naruto" suddenly the gravity of the situation struck as Aki and Shota arrived with Higurashi in tow. "Naruto, do you accept?" Minori asked and Naruto was at a loss. Sure he loved Minori as his sister but did he want to give up his clan name?

"It's okay Naruto, there are others, the Uzumaki clan can and will be reborn in time" A voice said right beside Naruto and for some reason, Naruto knew it was his mother. "You would have been born Namikaze anyway" The voice said before fading away.

"Kaa-san" Naruto said softly and Minori widened her eyes just a little before nodding. "I accept" Naruto said with determination.

"Please step into the circle . . . without your clothes but leave your boxers on . . . we don't need the view" Minori said

"What view" Hinata said quietly and a round of laughs were heard as Naruto gave Hinata a look of betrayal.

"Kneel Uzumaki Naruto" Minori said to Naruto as he stepped gingerly into the circle. Naruto did as instructed. "The Kekkei Genkai of the Yadokawa clan was originally a powerful seal array that was so powerful, it burnt itself into our genetics" Minori said as she pulled out her bottle of ink and cut her hand, depositing the blood into the ink. Minori moved the bottle of ink over to Naruto and presented him with an ornate knife, stained already from Minori's blood. Taking the knife, Naruto cut his hand, letting the blood flow into the ink pot before removing his hand. Minori began drawing seals on Naruto. "We, the Yadokawa, have held our traditions since time before Ninja. We, the Yadokawa have recorded our history since before Ninjutsu. We the Yadokawa see you Uzumaki Naruto and will you to know the length of history you step into. "Our traditions bind us"

"Bound in our blood" Naruto chanted

"Or knowledge guides us" Minori continued

"Written in our blood" Naruto chanted

"Our strength provides for us"

"Protected by our blood"

"We are the Yadokawa" Naruto and Minori said simultaneously as Minori finished the seal array. Stepping back until she reached the edge of the circle, Minori placed her hands on the ground and pushed her chakra into the circle. The lines lit up, racing around until Naruto was surrounded by a soft blue light before the light traveled inwards and the seal started moving. Words and seals started moving around Naruto's body going from his ankles, up his legs, forming two lines on his back and chest, travelling down his arms, going up his cheeks and onto his forehead where a triangle form. Naruto's eyes changed from cerulean blue to pitch black with even the whites of his eyes blackening and Naruto let out a gasp as his eyes widened as he felt all the minute changes in the air around him, his new bloodline now being able to detect everything in a hundred metre radius simply by reading the air pressure. The seal disappeared from the circle and the dark blue lines on Naruto's body faded while his eyes returned to normal colour. Naruto blinked from the loss of sensation and looked up at the smirking Minori who was somewhat out of breath.

"Rise Yadokawa Naruto" Minori said as she got to her feet along with Naruto. "And take the sword of our clan that you may spill the blood of those whom dare harm us" she said as she handed the blade that Tenten had made to him. Naruto took it with a bow.

Naruto looked around and saw soft smiles from everyone except Tenten who was biting her lip and looking Naruto up and down.

"I think I'd best get my clothes on" Naruto said with a deadpan while Hinata hid a giggle behind her hand

"No rush!" Tenten called out and that elicited a few more laughs from everyone.

* * *

 **And here we are at the end of another chapter . . . actually I wasn't going to make this a ceremony like I had . . . but that's how it turned out and I quite like it. It's been pointed out to me that there are mistakes in this work . . . I honestly couldn't be bothered to fix them. next time will be the long awaited graduation (at least by me) and the first ever real fight scene. stay tuned.**

 **anyways, let me know what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of. Take care**


	7. Chapter 7

**Greetings everyone! so it's been . . . a week i think . . . and i distinctly remember saying this would only be a couple of hours . . . well i got distracted okay . . . some life stuff came up. anyway, this is here, i like it . . . sorta but now that it's here, enjoy! see you at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Part 5**

"So, you graduate tomorrow huh?" Minori asked as she sipped a cup of green tea in the living room of their house. Minori had bought an actual place several years back and was a mix of traditional and modern with a wooden dining room and tatami living room and bedrooms.

"Yeah . . . you want me to actually pass the test?" Naruto asked as he lounged in the dining room chair, a cup of tea in one hand

"No . . . from what you have told me and my own digging, that Mizuki character will make his move if you fail, attempting to use your distraught at being unable to pass in order to entice you to aid whatever his plot is" Minori replied, taking another sip of her tea.

"Will I be able to wear my sword?" Naruto asked and Minori winced

"Not until after the failed graduation exam . . . I want them utterly fooled for now because of Mizuki but the time to trick the academy staff is nearly over" Minori said, turning her face to Naruto to offer him a grin.

"Well, I'm gonna go see if Hinata wants to train" Naruto said as he drained his cup of tea dry before stretching and getting up.

"Just remember that Hinata may actually want to study for the graduation exam" Minori said with a light chuckle "You two shouldn't be going on a date right before some important event"

"We aren't dating!" Naruto said as he blushed

"Sure could fool me . . . you are dating both Tenten and Hinata . . . hmmm I wonder if they would do a three way . . . isn't there that CRA thing? The Clan Repopulation Act? Where you can take multiple wives to help get the clan numbers up to snuff?" Minori said, her hand on her chin as she thought about it meanwhile Naruto had turned so red he was about to explode from all the blood now in his face.

"Tenten . . . and Hinata . . . in a bed with me . . ." Naruto said, a dribble of blood coming out of his nose.

"Oi! Leave those thoughts for when you are actually an adult! Besides haven't you seen both of them naked anyway?" Minori said with a chuckle and Naruto looked back at her.

"You corrupted me didn't you!" he exclaimed.

"Yep! It was probably when I had you sit down and read through the entire icha icha series" Minori said with a mischievous grin. Minori had shown Naruto that Jiraiya put messages into the icha icha books for Minori to read.

"Those books aren't that good, the ones you write are better" Naruto said with a shrug and Minori outright laughed. Minori of course wrote her own books to communicate with Jiraiya and they happened to be increasing in popularity recently especially amongst kunoichi.

"Go have fun with Hinata, you can mess with the training field if you want" Minori said giving a wave to Naruto who grinned and left the house.

* * *

"So, how is home life?" Naruto asked as he relaxed in the hot spring that he had turned the training field into. The training that he was doing with Hinata was standard Taijutsu training whilst standing on top of a body of water. It was just an added advantage that the two could relax in the training field afterwards. Naruto still had no idea how Minori was able to do this, he had a theory that the seal array transported them to different locations since Minori did have a network of seals that allowed a person to warp to any location that had another seal but he had yet to find the seals that would explain that theory in any of the training fields that he and Hinata had trained in so far.

"Neji absolutely hates me and father pretends I'm the biggest failure of his life" Hinata sighed as she reclined along the opposite edge of the hot springs to Naruto "Do you think we'll get put on the same team?" She asked, staring at the sky.

"Probably not, with your byakugan, I'd think you would be on a tracking squad while my status would have me as a front line combat ninja" Naruto said, watching Hinata as she sighed again.

"That's gonna suck" Hinata said calmly

"Yeah . . . but it's not like we'll never see each other again and once we make chunin, we can request to be on the same team as each other more often" Naruto replied, getting Hinata to look at him and smile faintly.

"A-are you free this evening? M-maybe we can go out sometime?" Hinata asked, hope in her eyes while Naruto cocked an eyebrow at Hinata's stutter. "Damn stutter, I swear it's not my nerves doing it" Hinata said with a degree of annoyance causing Naruto to chuckle.

"Come on, let's do another round of hand to hand training" Naruto said with a grin "We can go get some dinner afterwards" Hinata looked up at him in consideration as he used chakra to raise out of the hotspring.

"Um N-Naruto-kun . . . o-our clothes are o-over there" Hinata said with a blush as she tried to look at anywhere but Naruto and failed time and time again.

"I know" He said simply

"Pervert" Hinata said with a faint smile and rose out of the water herself in a dramatic explosion of water. Hinata took up a fighting stance and Naruto slipped into his own and the fight began.

* * *

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when you said let's go get some drinks Hinata-chan" Naruto said as he looked at the cup of tea in front of him. Hinata for her part giggled softly before wolfing down a cinnamon bun so fast that the only evidence of it's existence was a couple of stray crumbs on the plate it was held on. Naruto sighed as he bit into a cream bun himself, he was not foolish enough to order cinnamon buns and expect Hinata to not eat them before he could even register that they were on the table.

"Wait a minute . . . weren't there cinnamon buns there?" Asked the waitress that had been serving them as she noticed the crumbless plate she had set down that once held five of the buns. Hinata merely blinked and licked some crumbs off the side of her mouth with a completely innocent expression.

"Not any more there isn't, Hinata-chan can make those things disappear faster than I can eat Teriyaki" Naruto said with one arm on the table propping his head up and his cup of tea in the other hand. The two had gone to a small cafe on the corner of Konoha's main street that had recently opened and apparently served the best pastries in all the elemental nations.

Just as Naruto had finished his tea, three men walked into the shop, each with some sort of weapon with the leader holding a tetsubo and the other two holding their own variant clubs. The leader spoke in an angry grumble to the owner who was behind the counter and then smacked said counter with his Tetsubo, leaving the owner a shivering wreck. At that point, Hinata decided to get up and see what was happening.

"Is there a problem sir?" Hinata asked politely to the man with the Tetsubo who only growled and swung his studded club at Hinata. Hinata for her part sighed as she ducked under the blow and jabbed her hand in a Juuken strike right into the man's leg and watched as he crumpled to the ground. "I don't care what business you three gentlemen have here, this store is under the protection of the Hyuga . . . leave now" she said in a regal tone that heavily implied her noble heritage.

"Jus' 'ho ya think ya are tellin' us wot ta do!" Shouted the second of two men.

"I am Hyuga Hinata, eldest child of Hyuga Hiashi, clan leader and recognised Lord of the Fire nation" the girl said with a completely blank expression. "You will comply" She said before activating her Byakugan without so much as a hand sign. The two men grabbed their leader and bolted.

"Thank you young missy" the owner said to her "Just for that your order is on the house" he said with a closed eye smile.

"It was my pleasure" Hinata said in her same regal tone before inclining her head to the man and went back over to her seat with Naruto.

"Sooooo . . . you just put a store under your clan's protection . . . can you do that?" Asked Naruto with an amused smile

"Nobody messes with my cinnamon buns" Hinata said darkly, her eyes shining and Naruto could have sworn they were a malicious purple before Hinata brought her head up again and smiled, the dark moment long gone. "Besides, I said the store was under the protection of the Hyuga . . . I never said clan . . . I can protect this store all I want and my clan doesn't have to do a thing" Hinata said. A plate clinked onto the table with five more cinnamon buns and Hinata's face lit up in joy while both got their cups filled with tea.

* * *

"Alright class! Pencils down!" Called out Iruka as the class in front of him finished the written form of the exam. "Mizuki, would you be so kind as to collect the papers for me?" Iruka asked the man who gave a warm smile

"Of course Iruka" he said and went about collecting the papers from the room and handed them to Iruka who marked them all with the kids in front of him.

"Alright class, now on to the practical section, I will remind you all that if you can not perform one of the three academy Jutsu, you will fail" Iruka said in a soft voice, he did want all his students to succeed, even Naruto but still, he couldn't let them go out into the wilderness without the proper skills and a small part of him told him to be happy that Naruto would likely fail here.

One by one, the students got called into a separate room and one by one, the students disappeared, leaving with their Hitai-ate so that the other students wouldn't see who passed and failed.

"Naruto" came the call and finally it was time for him to take his test. Naruto wasn't nervous of course, he knew he was going to fail because that was precisely what he wanted.

"Alright Naruto, perform a Transformation Jutsu of the Hokage now" Iruka said to the boy who grinned, put his hands together in a ram sign and poofed into Sarutobi, although there were some errors, the jutsu was adequate. "Alright, substitute with a Log" Iruka said, ticking something off on a clipboard he was holding. Naruto grinned again and went through the hand signs and substituted with a random log that just so happened to be nearby. Iruka again ticked something off on his list "That's perhaps your best technique Naruto!" Iruka praised, he might still have a smattering of dislike for what the boy represented but he can't blame the boy himself. "Now lastly, the clone jutsu . . . please" Iruka said as the moment of truth finally came. Naruto grinned again and went through a series of hand signs that Iruka didn't recognise which caused him to frown as Naruto placed his hands on the ground and a Fuinjutsu seal spread out before a poof of smoke and there was two clones standing there smiling. "Erm . . . Naruto, what is this?" Iruka asked

"This is my take on the clone jutsu Iruka-sensei" Naruto said joyfully as he smiled a megawatt smile.

"That's nice but now can you please do the actual clone jutsu" Iruka said and Naruto's face fell.

"Isn't this good enough? I did the jutsu!" Naruto said with fear in his eyes. Iruka wanted to kick himself for what he was about to do.

"No Naruto, you need to know the actual jutsu and perform the actual jutsu" Iruka said and he could see the despair in Naruto's eyes.

"B-but Iruka-sensei . . . I can't do the normal clone jutsu" Naruto said quietly

"At least try Naruto" Iruka said, he was having trouble dealing with this, the boy shouldn't be affecting him this much and he pitied the boy despite his attempts to emotionally distance himself. Naruto for his part put his hands together in the very familiar hand sign string that formed the standard clone jutsu and a poof of smoke revealed a single white clone that was dead on the ground. Iruka looked at the clone, Naruto looked at the clone, Mizuki looked at the clone, nobody said anything for several seconds. "Naruto . . . you fail" Iruka said without any emotion in his voice whatsoever.

"Come on Iruka, surely that's good enough and he can do that other technique that makes clones just as good as the real thing" Mizuki said and Naruto gave the silver haired man a look of utter hope before turning that expression to Iruka who's face darkened considerably. He really didn't want to be there at that moment

"No, rules are rules, I am not setting a precedent for Naruto" Iruka said before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I'll go talk to him and see if I can figure out if we can give you a different test that might be better to test your abilities" Mizuki said warmly to Naruto who gave him another hope filled expression.

"Thanks Mizuki-sensei!" Naruto practically shouted, giving the man a megawatt smile. Mizuki smiled as well before leaving the room and Naruto's expression changed completely to one of triumph as his plan went off without a hitch, now it was a straightforward thing on whether Mizuki would attempt to use him to betray Konoha.

* * *

Naruto watched as all the people who graduated were meeting their parents with joyful expressions and shiny new Hitai-ate on their heads or wherever they were wearing them. Naruto also heard several of the parents mention how it was a good thing that he had failed as the demon child should not be a ninja in their eyes but Naruto pretended not to hear while he pretended to be utterly sad that he wasn't getting to do what the other people were doing.

"Naruto" came the voice of Mizuki "there you are, I've been looking all over for you" Mizuki said as he came up beside Naruto's swing. "Walk with me" he said and Naruto got up and followed him.

"What did they say Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked with his hope filled voice.

"We worked out a better test for you, you need to break into the Hokage Tower and steal the Forbidden Scroll" Mizuki said with a grin on his face.

"Isn't that wrong though?" Naruto asked, pretending to be confused.

"No, we have the Hokage's permission and of course, you will be delivering it to me and I'll hand it straight back to the Hokage. The trick is, you can't get caught but don't worry, I'm sure the ANBU will make it a little easier for you. Now come, I'll show you the meeting point and I want you to meet me there at Midnight" Mizuki said and Naruto's face lit up

"Well if you have the Hokage's permission that of course!" Naruto said as he rushed on after Mizuki.

* * *

"What did he say?" Asked Minori as she sipped a cup of tea

"He wants me to steal the Forbidden scroll and apparently the Hokage agreed" Naruto said as he sat down at the table, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Bullshit" Minori said casually.

"Yep" Naruto agreed

"Steal the scroll, hand it to me and use your Form Shift Jutsu to change a shadow clone into the scroll" Minori commanded.

"Of course Minori-sama" Naruto said with a coy grin while Minori gave him a death glare. "Hey, you ARE the clan head are you not?" Naruto asked, still grinning while Minori just sighed.

"You better not get yourself killed brat! If you win, you will graduate and I will have a present for you" Minori said, taking another sip of her tea.

"Sword or no sword?" Naruto asked, taking a sip of his own tea.

"You will represent the Yadokawa as well as the interests of Konoha so yes, wear your sword" Minori said, savouring her tea a bit more.

* * *

"That really was too easy . . . I didn't even need to use Nee-chan's network in order to get in . . . hmm, might need to let Hokage-sama know about that little detail" Naruto said to himself quietly while he read through the scroll he had open.

"NARUTO!" Iruka called out from the edge of the dark clearing that Naruto was sitting in

"So you're in on it too eh Iruka?" Naruto asked with a soft smile. He had liked Iruka, he was a good teacher who did his best to look past Naruto's status to see him.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean Naruto? Give me the scroll and maybe we can sort this whole mess out" Iruka said, walking over to get the scroll from Naruto

"But Mizuki-sensei told me to only give it to him and if I got caught I'd fail!" Naruto said, trying to play village idiot for a bit to stall for time. He didn't think Iruka would be able to find him.

"Naruto! This isn't a game! Stop trying to pin the blame on other people and give me the scroll before someone else finds you and let me tell you, they are out for your blood right now!" Iruka exclaimed.

"Ahh Iruka . . . how nice to see you here" Came the voice of Iruka as he appeared on a tree branch, a Fuuma Shuriken on his back.

"Mizuki? What's going on?" Iruka asked the man, his suspicions running high.

"Come now Iruka, I was trying to find the brat who took the scroll and you heard him just now making a foolish attempt to frame me . . . let's kill him and be done with it, clearly the fox is trying to manipulate him!" Mizuki said with a cold grin on his face.

"What are you saying!" Iruka all but shouted "Is this your doing!?" Mizuki's grin just widened.

"If you won't help me Iruka . . . I can't have witnesses when I take the scroll and present it to the Otokage. They will surely make me a Jounin after that!" Mizuki said

"So I was right after all" Naruto said almost to himself but the two chunin noticed. "You are a traitor" Naruto chuckled before holding up a ram sign and the illusion that kept his sword from being visible dropped. "And if you want the scroll . . . well sorry but the Hokage has it now" he said before the clone that was currently masquerading as a large forbidden scroll changed back into a clone. The two Naruto's grinned at Mizuki's astonished face.

"You . . . YOU TRICKED ME! . . . no matter . . . Naruto, do you want to know the reason why everyone hates you? Even Iruka hates you . . . why?" Mizuki said, his face changing from astonished rage back to cold smile

"No Mizuki! Don't you dare!" Iruka called out

"You see Naruto" Mizuki continued, completely ignoring Iruka "You"

"Don't Mizuki! Don't do it!" Iruka interrupted again

"Are the Nine Tailed Fox! You killed Iruka's parents! And so many other people in this village! That is why everyone hates you!" Mizuki said, his eyes showing madness in them and then he realised Naruto had a bored expression on his face

"Really? Cool . . . maybe try and figure out if I know a piece of information before trying to use it against me hmm?" Naruto said calmly as he watched the clearly deranged man in front of him

"How could you possibly KNOW!" Mizuki spat out

"Erm . . . I was born on the tenth of October, I have whisker marks . . . and there are a few other bits and pieces here and there . . . I'm not an idiot, even if I didn't have physical evidence, the reactions of the villages specifically on the tenth of october is enough for me to know the truth" Naruto explained, one hand resting on the handle of his sword.

"No matter, I will kill you anyway! And I will finally have vengeance! Against you AND Konoha!" Mizuki spat out, his face changing to a sneer while Iruka just stood there stunned.

Mizuki made the opening move, throwing his Fuuma shuriken at Naruto as they both went into battle mode and the world slowed down. Naruto hopped backwards just far enough that the Shuriken would miss him and noticed that Mizuki had propelled himself directly at Naruto with a Kunai in his hand and three standard Shuriken flying ahead of him. Naruto pulled out a Kunai of his own and deflected the shuriken while ducking under an overhead swing from Mizuki who continued through with several under arm thrusts that forced Naruto to bound backwards in order to avoid.

The shadow clone that Mizuki completely ignored then made it's presence and status known as it threw several Kunai at the silver haired man who dodged left and allowed Naruto to catch his breath. Mizuki narrowed his eyes for a second but went straight back into the attack by flinging shuriken but by this time, Naruto had already jumped upwards and landed on a branch with Mizuki right on his tail and going right back on the offensive, trying to stab Naruto as quickly as he could with fast thrusts or quick slashes.

Before naruto fell off the end of the branch, he somersaulted backwards and landed on another branch before diving to another tree where Mizuki caught up, keeping Naruto on the back foot as more and more strikes followed the blond boy.

Finally, Naruto managed to get away long enough to put his hands together in the hand sign for the Shadow Clone jutsu and six of them appeared on the branches around them. Mizuki took one look at them and was about to sneer when they jumped on him attacking one at a time so as not to get in each other's way but to wear Mizuki down by keeping him continually engaged.

Mizuki for his part was having problems dealing with the clones and was forced onto the back foot. He hopped to another branch and peppered the clone swarm with shuriken and gave a satisfied smirk when they burst. Mizuki was just about to gloat and taunt Naruto some when another clone swarm appeared on the branch he was on and forced the man to engage them but this time, instead of sticking around, he bounced backwards to a different branch. The clones followed and thus Mizuki was forced to move, kill a clone or two, move and kill one more as he and the swarm bounced around the branches until a soft 'shick' was heard signifying the sound of someone drawing a blade from a leather lined sheath and Mizuki turned just in time to see the real Naruto's foot travel up his body and into his chin, sending him off the branch and into the air.

Time slowed down even more than it already had for Mizuki as he noticed the blond demon appear above him, his sword held in a reverse grip and his body in a spin that would have his sword meet Mizuki at the throat. Mizuki tried to force his hands to come together to substitute with something, anything before naruto's sword hit him but his arms were moving in a slower motion than Naruto's blade. Mizuki watched and tried frantically to get his arms move faster as the glimmering silver blade came closer and closer and then.

Naruto's blade moved past Mizuki. Mizuki tried to sigh in relief but nothing came out.

With a thud, Mizuki landed on the ground and slid until he was stopped by a tree, blood spurting from the open gash on his throat and gurgles came from the man's mouth as he desperately tried to draw air. Just one breath, one bit of air but Mizuki could only gurgle up more blood, his eyes growing more and more desperate as he tried to beg for his life but no sound, he tried to beg forgiveness, no sound, he tried to hold onto his life, he didn't want to die but nothing came out and all he saw was the cold and apathetic expression on that demon brat's face as the kid watched him in his final moments.

Naruto watched as Mizuki gurgled one last time before the light in his eyes went out. Naruto watched as the blood slowly stopped flowing and he watched as the grass blacked in the faint moonlight with the blood of the traitor staining them.

"Naruto" Iruka said softly as he finally caught up to the boy and saw what had happened. The blood on Naruto's sword and Mizuki in front of him painted a very clear picture. Naruto's expression was one of cold indifference as he stared at Mizuki's rapidly cooling corpse but his shaking left hand clued Iruka in to the fact that he was traumatised by the event. "Naruto" Iruka said again, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Let's go see the Hokage now" Naruto nodded faintly and let the scarred chunin lead him towards the tower.

* * *

"Well Minori" Sarutobi said with a sigh "He has turned out a lot more like you than you realised" Minori sat in front of him as they stared at Sarutobi's crystal ball. Minori had her head in her hands after witnessing Naruto's act.

"I know" She said, lifting her head up "I had hopped I could use Hinata to keep him grounded . . . to keep him emotionally stable . . . is there no way you can change the teams?" Minori asked.

"It's not that I can't, it's that I won't" Sarutobi said and Minori looked at him with a dark expression. "Kurenai has requested Hinata and I have no reason to switch the teams around" he said.

"Sakura is a genjutsu type while Hinata is a heavy hitter! Sakura does not belong on a frontline squad!, I told you this last week! And more, the teams aren't even official yet! Naruto and Hinata will make a far better team than if Sakura was there instead . . . she has eyes and ears only for the Uchiha brat and more importantly, a sever disregard for Naruto . . . I almost expect her to attempt to kill Naruto herself if he offends her precious Sasuke" Minori said and Sarutobi looked away. These were valid reasons for making the teams the way she had recommended but still.

"Fine then! You want to know! Haruno Tohiro has demanded that Sakura be on team seven! Under the best jounin we have . . . he threatened to withdraw his share of Konoha's treasury if we didn't . . . we simply can't afford that right now . . . any later had he done this, or a year earlier and I would have laughed him out of my tower but he did it right when we needed those funds to purchase food supplies due to the poor harvest of this season! We have to import from the land of rice paddies now and their prices are not . . . low" Sarutobi sighed and as did Minori.

"Speaking of the land of Rice Paddies . . . I wish to hire an S-ranked mission out that way" Minori said as she handed a mission form to Sarutobi.

"What could possibly be that important? You have only listed here as 'briefing upon acceptance' for the mission details" Sarutobi asked as he looked over the very poorly filled out mission request.

"It's probably only an A-rank but I'm not taking chances . . . I need a squad to . . . deal with some issues that came up . . . I'd rather the mission be put together quickly and the best you have assigned to it" Minori said

"Very well . . . I have a team you can use . . . I trust you can afford this" Sarutobi said as he stood up and smoothed out his robes.

"Yes, it will be breaking the bank a little bit I won't be in the red" Minori replied as she got up as well and the two went back to Sarutobi's office.

Sarutobi had enough time to sit down and get comfortable before Iruka and Naruto walked in.

"Nee-chan" Naruto said in a very quiet and subdued voice. Minori nodded, signifying that she knew.

"Naruto" she said simply as she walked over and gave the boy a hug.

"Hokage-sama" Iruka said formally "Mizuki attempted to influence Naruto to steal the forbidden scroll, revealed an S-ranked secret to who knows who and attempted to kill both me and Naruto" although the part about him being in threat wasn't exactly but Mizuki had said he was going to.

"Yes . . . Iruka . . . I pointed you to that little clearing to act as Naruto's backup . . . and yet . . ." Minori said, the long pauses signifying her thoughts on the matter

"I . . . I am truly sorry" Iruka said to the both of them "I let my emotions beat my reason and forgot for just long enough about Naruto being a person that the fight went away from me . . . I had only just caught up when I found Mizuki dead" Iruka explained. The shame of his actions written clearly on his face.

"I think, having demonstrated the shadow clone jutsu to such master, you have graduated Naruto-kun" said Sarutobi as he took his pipe out from seemingly nowhere and lit it without anyone noticing. Naruto just nodded at the Hokage's words.

"Here Naruto" Minori said as she unsealed her present for Naruto. The gift was a light grey Haori jacket with the symbol of a fan on the back of it. The fan had a dark blue base and stretch out into five purple feathers that each had a light green square at the very tip of them.

Naruto shrugged the garment on and belted his sword over the top of it, completing the image he wore with his Kimono shirt, shinobi three quarter pants and his sandals with the leg warmers.

"How do you deal with it Nee-chan?" Naruto asked her quietly.

"Remember the camping trips with Hinata" Minori replied simply and Naruto did just as she asked, the feeling of killing a creature, skinning it and then cooking it to eat while he laughed around with Minori and Hinata as the three and sometimes just two of them enjoyed the trips. That was all it was, a simple bit of brutality that he could just leave behind him and laugh with his friends and colleagues. "Let's go have celebratory Teriyaki tomorrow for dinner mmkay? And I'll invite the girls" Naruto nodded, a faint smile appearing on his lips

"Don't forget Naruto, get your photo taken for your shinobi ID" Sarutobi said to the boy while pulling out a hitai-ate from a draw and handing it to Naruto.

"And team assignments are next week so make sure you are there" Iruka said as Naruto tied the Hitai-ate around his head and grinned.

"No problems Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said with the satisfaction of graduating that he had missed out on earlier that day. Then a memory struck him. All the students that had passed coming to their loved ones to greet them. Naruto turned around to face Minori with his eyes wide. "Onee-chan look, I graduated" he said as he struggled not to let tears form in his eyes

"I see that" Minori said with a soft smile "Well done Naruto i'm so proud of you" she said and gave the boy another hug who couldn't stop the tears now. A single tear tracked down Minori's face as she let her own emotions out for a bit and the two crushed each other in a bear hug.

Iruka and Sarutobi watched on with soft smiles as the two strung their emotions out for each other to see. _'They deserve each other'_ Sarutobi thought to himself as he looked on.

* * *

 **And here we come to the conclusion of another episode of Yadokawa Minori! this actually wasn't hard for me to do, i wrote this whole thing in about two hours actually . . . maybe three.**

 **anyway, tell me what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of. take care**


	8. Chapter 8

**Greetings everyone! well this chapter is actually a little longer than I'd normally want . . . I originally tired to keep things at a nice solid 4500 with a/n and all . . . that basically went out of the window. I apologize in advance . . . my "fluff" writing skills aren't really a thing that exists . . . especially considering I didn't even know what "fluff" was until last year. this chapter is the setup for the first three episodes of the anime (for which i base everything off of) so that should be interesting. in any case, hope you enjoy, see you at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Part 6**

"Here's my registration form Hokage-sama" Naruto said as he handed a form to Sarutobi. For his part, Sarutobi took the sheet and gave it a cursory glance, seeing everything in order he nodded.

"You know, it wasn't so long ago that you used to call me 'jii-chan'" Sarutobi said with a smile "What ever happened that that?"

"Well . . . I figured it was unbecoming for a shinobi to call his superior 'jii-chan' I guess" Naruto said with a faint chuckle while scratching the back of his head. "Doesn't mean I don't think it though" he said causing Sarutobi to give the boy a fond smile from under his hat. At exactly that moment, both Naruto and Sarutobi sensed a presence by the door and Naruto clicked his sword out a notch for a quick draw. His sword was belted onto the small of his back in the same fashion that Minori's had been so he had taught himself to use the sword left handed if necessary, he was still a little put off by the over the head drawing style that the Yadokawa Kenjutsu style made him do. Before Naruto could do anything, a young boy rushed into the room holding a shuriken and charged Sarutobi, screaming about how he was going to be the fifth Hokage when, suddenly, he face planted into the wooden floorboards of Sarutobi's office. Naruto blinked once, twice, three times and then clicked his sword back into place with a sigh of relief which was mirrored by Sarutobi.

"It was a trap wasn't it!" cried out the boy who was sitting on the floor still rubbing his head where he impacted with the floor. "You! You were responsible!" The boy exclaimed, pointing at Naruto as he did.

"Honorable Grandson! Might I mention that there was no trap?" came the voice of a black clad shinobi with sunglasses and a bandanna style Hitai-ate cloth as he rushed into the room.

"This puppy yours Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked Sarutobi who chuckled

"Yes, Konohamaru, meet Naruto" Sarutobi said as the boy looked between Naruto and Sarutobi.

"Well, I won't keep this reunion then, I have things to do anyway, see ya later . . . jii-chan" Naruto said as he turned to leave, giving the Hokage a coy smile with the last comment before brushing past the man that was attempting to handle Konohamaru "Oh and it was nice to meet you Konohamaru" Naruto said, turning back for a second before continuing on again.

Ebisu waited until Naruto was out of earshot before turning to face Konohamaru.

"Honorable Grandson! You must stay away from the likes such as that vagrant! He is nothing but worthless trash and you would do best to keep far away!" Ebisu told Konohamaru who was still looking in the direction that Naruto had left. "Now, if you stick with me I can train you in Ninjutsu! I can teach you the greatest things there is to be taught! Truly, if you learn from me, I can give you the shortcut to becoming Hokage!" Ebisu turned around and saw nothing but an empty office where Konohamaru used to be. "What! Where did he go!"

"I believe he went after Naruto" Sarutobi said with a deadpan expression.

"Whaaaaaaat!" Ebisu cried out, taking a step back as if the revelation had hit him hard. "I must go after them!" he said before taking off after the errant boy.

* * *

Naruto casually walked down main street, enjoying the sights and sounds of the village as he made his slow way to the Higurashi weapon shop. He noticed as soon as Konohamaru started to follow him but he thought he'd give the boy some leniency since he was only an academy student after all. Turning back, he saw that the boy had wrapped himself in what looked like a sheet and had huddled down in the middle of the road.

"Hmm, a cloth rock with shinobi sandals . . . interesting" Naruto said before turning around and walking off. He had to admit that this was amusing him a little. Sighing slightly when he heard Konohamaru's footsteps he turned around again only to see that the boy was trying to hide against the fence with a camouflage blanket painted to look like a wooden wall, the only problem was that the planks on the blanket were sideways while the planks on the wall were straight up. "Nice try kid but the camo-blanket is wrong for that type of wall" Naruto said to the boy with a slight grin as Konohamaru dropped the sheet.

"Heh, you saw right through my disguise! You have truly earned your reputation!" Konohamaru said with a smirk. "I permit you to take me as your apprentice!" he said, walking right to Naruto and staring up at the boy.

"Oh? And what if I don't want to take you as an apprentice?" Naruto said, folding his arms and giving the boy a coy grin.

"Pleeeeeease?" Konohamaru begged "If you do, i'll call you boss!" Naruto snorted in amusement at Konohamaru's begging while the boy in question tried to give Naruto the puppy eyes jutsu.

"I've got a little bit of time I guess" Naruto said with a sigh as he walked off, motioning for Konohamaru to follow.

"So, what jutsu are you gonna teach me first boss?!" Konohamaru asked in gleeful excitement causing Naruto to chuckle a little.

"Something to help with that horrendous camouflaging ability of yours" Naruto said with a grin when Konohamaru cocked his head to the side in a confused puppy expression.

"Whatd'ya mean?" the boy asked as the two kept walking down the street

"Well, I have one jutsu that I can truly say is my own . . . the rest I have learnt from someone or something else" Naruto said, drawing out the suspense as long as possible. "I call it 'Hidden Art: Form Shift'" Naruto said with dramatic emphasis.

"What's that do?" Konohamaru asked with wonder in his eyes

"Exactly what it says on the box! You shift your form into something . . . or someone . . . else" Naruto said, nodding in agreement with his own statement. "Come lemme teach you the handsigns, the Jutsu is quite similar to the Transformation Jutsu that the academy teaches only this jutsu is not an illusion"

* * *

"There you two are!" Called out Ebisu as he finally caught up with Konohamaru just as Naruto finished telling him that there were no shortcuts to becoming Hokage and that Konohamaru had to be prepared to fight to the death for every man, woman and child in this village before he could even consider the job his dream. "As I was trying to say earlier! I can give you the shortcut to becoming Hokage if only you listen to me!" Ebisu said, in complete contradiction of what Konohamaru said.

"But Naruto-nii said that there are no shortcuts!" Konohamaru exclaimed causing both Naruto and Ebisu to look at him.

"Naruto-nii?" both Naruto and Ebisu said in unision

"Yep! From now on you are my Nii-san!" konohamaru exclaimed joyfully while jabbing his finger in Naruto's direction. Ebisu also directed his attention to Naruto and fixed his glasses as is habit for most people with glasses. "Also, Naruto-nii taught me how to do the Jutsu he created!" Konohamaru stated with glee.

"What Jutsu!? Show me!" Ebisu demanded, fearing that the boy terror he had heard so much about had taught the Honorable Grandson something lewd as a technique. Naruto kicked a rock and Konohamaru grinned as he slapped his hands together in the ram sign.

"Form Shift!" he called out loudly before transforming into a rock. Ebisu frowned as he walked over to the rock that was Konohamaru in disguise before gently nudging the rock and then kicking it just enough to turn it on it's side. At this, Ebisu's eyes widened in shock as he realised exactly what Naruto had taught Konohamaru and the boy poofed back to his normal dimensions. Naruto Grinned Mischievously at Ebisu before taking several steps back, holding one hand in a ram sign and disappearing. Konohamaru stared at where Naruto had just been before he just dematerialised in front of him.

"Well that was certainly . . . odd" Ebisu said before pushing his glasses up

"That . . . was . . . AWESOME!" Konohamaru shouted "Can you teach me that Ebisu-sensei?" Konohamaru asked, turning around to Ebisu with stars in his eyes.

"I can teach you a jutsu that is similar but not right now . . . perhaps when you are older and certainly when you are more skillful" Ebisu replied, his hand still on his glasses

* * *

"Naruto . . . what's with the sword?" Asked Sasuke quietly as he took in the blonde boy that sat beside him.

"I'm finally allowed to wear it in public now that I'm a ninja" Naruto said just as quietly as he rested his head on the desk.

"Oi, this is only for those who passed and you failed remember" came the indignant voice of Shikamaru who appeared to have just arrived. Slowly Naruto turned his attention to the boy who wore a lazy slouch and yet, his eyes were analysing every little action Naruto made.

"I thought you were a Nara shika . . . how unobservant of you" Naruto replied with a faint smirk before glancing upwards to direct Shikamaru's attention to his Hitai-ate.

"Whatever" Shikamaru said before turning around and finding a vacant seat while muttering "troublesome blond" under his breath. Suddenly the sound of running arrived to those in the classroom as two girls, Sakura and Ino charged in only to get caught in the door as they both attempted to enter at the same time. Not to be beaten by the other, the girls didn't let the door frame bar their entrance for longer than half a second before the poor frame busted off and landed on the ground with a light thud.

"I"M FIRST!" they both shouted simultaneously and were about to come to blows before their 'Sasuke detector' alerted them to the presence of their crush and, in unison, they turned to the raven haired boy who had shown his understanding of the sudden silence and a shiver ran down his back but he kept staring out the window, trying desperately to not let any emotion show on his face.

"Outta my way Naruto!" Called Sakura who had somehow materialised at the bench that Naruto and Sasuke were sitting on. Naruto sighed and looked at the front of the class where Hinata sat who was watching with keen eyes. Using his eyes to indicate a patch of bench he signaled Hinata if she wanted to sit next to him. Catching the gleam in her eyes Naruto scootched over and closer to Sasuke.

"What are you doing dobe?" Asked Sasuke, casting a glance in the blond's direction.

"Saving you the trouble" Was Naruto's simple reply as, in a fluid motion, Hinata rose out of her seat, took position on the desk in front of her, initiated a graceful backwards arc, came down on the desk behind her on her hands and pushed off, twisting in mid air and coming down on the now vacant bench space. All of this happened in a split second and left the entire class completely stunned at Hinata's display of graceful gymnastics.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san, did you say something?" Hinata asked politely, somehow managing to keep the smirk off her face that Naruto knew she would be sporting in private, even he was stunned at her display.

Iruka cleared his throat and, in the stunned silence that his classroom had fallen into, this was enough to get the attention of his students who either took seats or sat up straighter with the one exception being Shikamaru who had only put his head on the desk.

"Okay everyone! It's time for team assignments, I will now read out your names and the names of your teammates" Iruka said as he pulled out a clipboard. Naruto tuned him out and instead leant in to whisper in Hinata's ear.

"That was beautiful" he said in a voice so quiet she was the only one that would hear him. Hinata of course, couldn't help blushing at the proximity and the compliment but it was only a slight blush, she had definitely learnt how to control her visible emotions in the time training with her crush.

"Team seven will be Sakura Haruno" Iruka called out causing the girl in question to straighten at her name. "Sasuke Uchiha" he continued and a squeal of delight was heard while a dozen or so cries of outrage rose up in challenge "AND FINALLY!" Iruka shouted in order to get his female students under control "Uzu . . . errr wait . . . umm" Iruka stumbled at Naruto's name and looked up at the boy who grinned at him "Yadokawa Naruto . . . these three form team seven" Iruka said, still frowning as he walked over to his desk and pulled out a folder, flipped through it and looked at something before shaking his head and continuing on with the teams. "Team eight will be Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata . . . Hinata why is there an Asterix next to your clan name?" Iruka said, posing his query to Hinata at the end who only blushed in response. Naruto frowned, knowing full well that there were only a few things that made the girl blush these days but he said nothing and neither did she. Iruka went back to calling out team names and, after he was done, he gave a pretty speech about being ninja that nobody paid any attention to.

"Let's go get some lunch" Naruto said and Hinata nodded before standing up and walking out with Naruto right behind her.

"Dobe!" Sasuke called out before the two had left the classroom, causing everyone to stop and stare at the challenging tone. "What's that symbol on your back mean?" Sasuke asked, suspicion clearly in his voice.

"It's my clan symbol . . . the symbol of the Yadokawa clan" Naruto replied.

"Never heard of them" Sasuke scoffed "Must have been some useless clan that got wiped out" he said with a smirk as the classroom went dead silent. A click was heard as Naruto's sword was clicked out a notch and his other hand flew to the handle only to stop in mid air. The cause was clear as Hinata's dainty hand was wrapped around Naruto's wrist while her other hand gently clicked his sword back into its sheath properly. Then, without any warning at all, she dashed forward and lodged a juuken strike without any chakra into Sasuke's stomach who doubled over with a grunt as the air was forced from his lungs.

"Don't insult clans you don't know Last Uchiha or people might start thinking you follow your brother's footsteps" Hinata said in a voice as cold as ice and very hyuga like. The other clan children were also looking at Sasuke with varying degrees of discontent, even Ino looked like she had been slapped in the face at his comment.

"What . . . what's the big deal! If I haven't heard of them, they aren't important!" Sasuke tried again looking straight into Hinata's lavender eyes and stone cold expression.

"The big deal is that they are a clan that is far older than you realise and, like the senju, have suffered greatly and, like the Hyuga, are considered nobility . . . clanless peasant" with that, Hinata walked off with a smirking Naruto following her.

"Bitch, don't listen to her Sasuke, she doesn't know what she is saying! Anyway, wanna go on a date with me?" Sakura asked, pushing all that was irrelevant out of the scene and getting straight back to winning Sasuke's heart meanwhile Ino was looking at the two and was troubled. She remembered when Naruto had asked her about crushes and how people would react around those they crushed on. She didn't want to draw the conclusion she was drawing but it had been on her mind ever since she had told the blond that, if a girl liked a boy, she would blush if he sat next to her, she had come to realise that she had none of those reactions. Sakura was clearly blushing from her attempts to get a date with Sasuke but something told Ino that she too didn't really mean it. Coming to a decision, Ino just walked away and decided she was done deluding herself, if anything were to happen between her and Sasuke, it won't be today.

* * *

Sakura sat on a bench by the side of a street outside of the Academy with her bento in hand. She had wanted to have a lunch with her team but she wasn't going to ask Naruto-baka and Sasuke had refused so now she was alone.

"Greetings Sakura-chan" came the voice of a woman from beside Sakura. Turning her head in the direction of the voice, Sakura saw a woman with platinum blonde hair in a light grey Kimono shirt that was left open while her chest was covered in dark green cloth that looked like some kind of wrapping.

"Umm hello miss . . . do I know you?" Sakura said politely.

"Not yet, so how is your new squad? Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun . . . both interesting boys aren't they?" The woman asked, giving Sakura a friendly smile.

"Well, Naruto is just an idiot . . . might even request a transfer! But then I wouldn't get to be on a team with Sasuke! Oh no! Damnit! I can't transfer!" Sakura started going on a little speel after that about how wonderful Sasuke is.

"How much do you know about Sasuke?" The woman asked and that snapped Sakura out of her fantasy for a minute as she thought.

"He's ark, handsome and oh! He's the Last Uchiha!" Sakura stated proudly.

"What's his favourite food?" the woman asked and Sakura stopped to think. Now that she had thought about it she had absolutely no idea but decided it was probably something like sushi, Sakura loved sushi, even if it wasn't her favourite food.

"Why does it matter?" Sakura asked, trying to get the discussion back onto something she could answer. This, however, only made the woman smirk as if she had won a victory.

"Who are his friends?" the woman asked, she was asking standard questions that someone who was 'in love' with someone would know and Sakura was aware of this but still.

"H-he doesn't have any" Sakura answered, starting to become a little self conscious as she didn't really know. The woman raised an eyebrow and sat next to Sakura on the bench while Sakura was busy wondering if she was right or not.

"Where does he live?" the woman asked and Sakura again blanked but then it came back to her.

"The Uchiha compound of course!" Sakura said with a grin as she turned to face the woman and happy that she had finally won, Sasuke will be hers!

"Where is the Uchiha compound?" the woman asked with a deadpan expression and Sakura's own expression froze on her face "And are you really sure he lives there? Or did you just assume he would still live in the compound with all the ghosts of his dead relatives?" again the woman was asking for things Sakura should know.

"What does it matter if I don't know Sasuke as well as I should! I still love him! He will still be mine!" Sakura stated with her arms crossed and an angry expression.

"No he won't" was the simple reply she got from the woman and those three words hit Sakura harder than any physical blow. "No man would ever want to be with a woman who saw them as an object, a thing, a tool to become popular" Sakura was vaguely aware she had fallen off the bench and was huddled on the ground in the fetal position with her hands over her ears but still didn't stop the words pouring into her mind. "You are weak, pathetic, no shinobi would ever want you. You are a danger to any who would call you a teammate, your Taijutsu is bad enough that even a civilian could overpower you" the words kept flowing from the woman who still sat calmly on the bench even as Sakura was crying. "And your genjutsu skills, for which you are marked as being excellent in, are non-existent, you haven't even noticed the genjutsu that's over you yet" Sakura snapped her eyes open at that.

"H-how?" The girl stammered out quietly and suddenly the face of that woman was only a few inches from her own.

"Better yourself, you are a ninja, a shinobi, forget about Sasuke" the woman said, completely ignoring Sakura.

"No! I can't" Sakura gasped at her own words as if they were hard to force out.

"You can, you know why" the woman stood back up and Sakura got up as well, dusting herself off as she did so.

"I need to improve my Taijutsu" Sakura stated.

"Why?" the woman asked with a smirk

"Because learning things like Genjutsu and Ninjutsu is easy and simple, but Taijutsu is physical so I need to spend the most time and effort on it, prioritising it first" Sakura said and realised just how true her words were.

"See that field over there?" The woman asked and Sakura turned her attention to it. "Be there at five in the morning after tomorrow . . . when you encounter the two that train there, ask Mighto Gai to 'help ignite the flames of your youth' and try to do it with some actual gusto" the woman said and Sakura just continued to look at the field "I'm sorry for practically torturing you but you will thank me later, see you later" the woman said before turning and walking off.

"Wait!" Sakura called out to the woman and only just know noticed the sword that was belted onto the small of her back. "What's your name?" Sakura asked and the woman turned back to grin at Sakura before disappearing right before Sakura's eyes as if she had never been there at all. "What . . ." Sakura said intelligently before sitting down, her bento long forgotten.

* * *

"So" came a female voice from behind Sasuke as he sat on the floor in the library in front of one of the sections with a book that had a mention of the Yadokawa clan in his hand. "Found a book on my clan did you?" the woman asked and Sasuke turned to look at her, she had platinum blond hair, was wearing a grey kimono shirt and had a sword belted onto the small of her back that was very similar to the one Naruto now wore, it was belted on the same as well. The only differences that jumped out at Sasuke was that her kimono shirt was open but her chest was still covered thankfully, and she didn't wear a haori jacket.

"Who are you?" was Sasuke's gruff reply but the woman didn't answer, merely looked over his shoulder at the book he had been reading. He had just found and read a tiny passage about how the Yadokawa clan was originally from Kirigakure and that the clan had been destroyed save for one person during one of Kiri's bloodline purges some time ago. The sole survivor had made it all the way to Konoha and had fought a desperate last stand against eight enemy shinobi just out of hearing range from the village gates. The woman frowned.

"Now how did those clever little monkeys get those details I wonder" the woman said as she took the book from a now indignant Sasuke "Pity, this is quite the informative tale but I'm afraid this information isn't for public viewing" and with that the woman pulled out a brush, flicked her hand across the book's pages faster than Sasuke could see and had put her brush away again all in the space of two seconds. "I'm sure you understand, knowledge is power, guard it wisely" and with that comment, the book burst into flames and was incinerated in just a second.

"Whaa?" Sasuke asked intelligently.

"Sasuke isn't it? I believe you are on a team with my little brother" the woman said with a smirk as the dust that indicated the book had ever existed vanished.

"Hn, what of it" Sasuke said, crossing his arms and trying to get his composure back from his little slip.

"I thought it's time we talked, I'm konoha's number one spy" The woman said and that got Sasuke's attention. "I was there the night your clan was . . . I know the real culprit" Sasuke's eyes snapped open as he stared at the woman in shock.

"The 'real' culprit is my brother Itachi!" Sasuke exclaimed, his arms by his sides.

"Said who? Oh right, Itachi of course . . . now why would a homicidal maniac leave someone alive? Oh right too weak . . . but then those must have been some strong new born babies eh?" The woman said, smirking at Sasuke.

"Wait . . . what did you just say?" Something clicked in Sasuke's head, something that hadn't clicked before.

"New born babies, one year olds, two year olds . . . all the men, women and children were murdered . . . all save for you and Itachi's reasoning as to leave you alive was because you were too weak to kill" The woman said and Sasuke looked at her, it didn't add up to him either, why had Itachi kill those that could barely cry in hunger but leave him if his only reason was he was too weak.

"Itachi went insane . . . who knows what madman will do" Sasuke said, not wanting to accept that something different was going on.

"Or, he was blackmailed, most of the bodies were burnt on the spot by the investigators but like I said, I was there that night . . . I saw the wounds, one person had paralysed everyone with a genjutsu and then they had stabbed everyone in a manner that would kill them slowly and painfully . . . then someone else had come along and killed everyone else quickly and painlessly" the woman said, looking serious now.

"Why were you there? How do I know YOU didn't have a hand in all this?!" Sasuke didn't want to hear anything that the woman had to say anymore, she was challenging his beliefs after all.

"I'm a spy . . . your clan had gotten themselves into some . . . troublesome business that required the Hokage to deploy me . . ." the woman said, looking away

"You lie! My clan are nothing but heroes! The best of the village! Nothing and nobody challenged them!" Sasuke shouted, he heard the undercurrents, she was accusing his clan of wrongdoing.

"At the end of the day, the attack on the Uchiha clan was ordered by the Hokage . . . even though he only ordered that the ringleaders for the coup they were plotting be put down . . . when I found out what he had done I nearly killed him myself" the woman said. Sasuke was shocked, he stumbled backwards and almost collided with the bookshelf until a strong arm caught him by the collar. "I told the Hokage that I suspected an infiltrator was influencing your clan's leadership with Genjutsu . . . I'd seen it in Kiri . . . right when I was about to find out who the culprit was . . . the attack happened, ordered by the Hokage . . . it wasn't until later I found out he had been fed false information and hadn't received any of my own reports so . . . the culprit had support from inside the tower . . . I know the names, I know the faces, I know the score and I will get even eventually . . . all that's left for you is to kill your brother . . . or bring him back as the hero he is" the woman looked out of the window that shone light into the little corner of the library they were in. "Yadokawa Minori" The woman said before disappearing as if she was never there to begin with.

Sasuke sat down with a dull thump and looked, for all the world to see, shell-shocked as he just stared at the ground. It was then that a thought occurred to him, if everything that woman, Minori, had said was true . . . that meant that someone much stronger than Itachi placed his entire clan under a Genjutsu and effectively killed them all. That woman, Minori, knew who they were and yet she hadn't done anything . . . maybe she knew that they were too powerful even for her . . .that had to be it, whoever could murder his entire clan in one night without leaving any evidence of their existence could not be beaten by any normal person. Sasuke needed power, he needed his Sharingan, he needed people strong enough to fight with him too. Sasuke nodded and got up, intending to head back to the academy and wait for his Jounin sensei.

* * *

"Alright, why don't we start with introducing ourselves" Said Kakashi as he looked at his three students. He had done a double take when he saw that Naruto kid and knew that Minori was somehow involved even though it had been twelve years since he had seen her.

"What do you mean sensei?" Asked the pink haired girl, if her file was anything to go by he might be able to use her as cannon fodder . . . but then again, she was probably too weak for her body to stop a Kunai.

"Your likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams for the future . . . that sort of thing" Kakashi said, one finger on where his mouth would be if his mask wasn't in the way in a thinking pose.

"Why don't you go first so we can see how it's done" replied the pink haired girl.

"Alright then, my name is Hatake Kakashi, as for my likes and dislikes?" Kakashi paused to think about his answer "I don't feel like telling you" the three genin stared at their sensei with blank expressions. "Dreams for the future . . . never really thought about it . . . as for my hobbies . . . well, I have lots of hobbies" Kakashi said, summing everything up with the board look he have been giving the three genin. He could just see the thought processes going through their heads about how he hadn't told them anything other than his name. "Alright, you can go first" Kakashi said while Indicating Naruto, who had so far been silent.

"Name's Yadokawa Naruto" the blonde said with a slight smirk and kakashi had to force himself not to react. "My likes . . . hmmm" Naruto said "My dislikes . . ." Naruto paused to consider the question before just simply nodding "My dreams for the future . . . I don't dream" Naruto said vaguely and Kakashi just had to suspect that Naruto wasn't revealing the whole truth "Hobbies? One upping juu-chan in Fuinjutsu creations" that sentence made almost no sense to the other two children but Kakashi had an inkling.

" _So the boy is already proficient in Fuinjutsu_ " Kakashi thought. "Alright next" Kakashi said aloud while looking at Sakura who suddenly looked melancholy.

"Sakura Haruno . . . I don't know anymore" that was all that Kakashi was going to get out of the girl but the other two students were looking at her as if this was a complete change from only a few hours ago and it was, Kakashi had been watching.

"Alright then, you" Kakashi said to the last remaining student

"Uchiha Sasuke, I have many dislikes and no particular like . . . as for my dream, it is not a dream, it is an ambition. I will restore my clan and avenge my family" Sasuke said with his hands clasped over his face.

" _Interesting . . . he implied his entire family . . . could he believe Itachi is innocent?"_ Kakashi thought to himself as he studied the boy. "Well you are each unique and very vague . . . our first mission will be tomorrow" Kakashi said aloud.

"Sensei . . . what kind of mission will it be?" Asked Sakura, cocking her head to the side while Naruto was staring intently at Kakashi.

"A survival exercise" Kakashi replied simply.

"But sensei, we already did those in the academy" Sakura returned.

"Oi Sakura, we passed the academy now we need to pass the employment test . . . you can't expect a jounin to take us on if we don't have the right stuff, just cause we can pass the tests posed by the academy doesn't mean we are any good" Naruto interjected and both his teammates were looking at him. "Also i'm guessing there are limited slots available since there isn't a war and there doesn't appear to be one coming" Naruto said with a shrug.

"What Naruto says is correct, there are only limited slots available so . . . while all you newly graduated genin have what it takes, we only want the best of you and so the top nine will go on to become a genin and the rest will repeat" Kakashi said, confirming what Naruto said. "Meet me at training ground seven at five in the morning" Kakashi said before turning away and walking to the edge of the roof. "Oh and you'll probably want to skip breakfast . . . you'll throw up" he said before leaping off the roof.

* * *

"Kakashi" came a female voice from right behind Kakashi as he watched Naruto enter a house in a somewhat nice district of konoha.

"How long have you been back?" asked Kakashi in his bored tone.

"Dependes . . . whether or not I have to kill you know" Minori said as Kakashi turned to her and saw the pained expression on her face, she was serious. Snapping his book shut and putting it in his pouch, Kakashi gave to woman his full attention.

"Why would you have to kill me?" Kakashi asked, narrowing his eye.

"Remember what you were doing when I left? Surprisingly I have found no information on whether or not you are still amongst the enemy's ranks" Minori replied and Kakashi snapped his eye open wide in surprise. He quickly got his expressions under control.

"I'm not ROOT anymore . . . you were right, I shouldn't have trusted Danzo . . . I'm not even ANBU anymore" Kakashi said

"Six years" Minori said, looking at the ground before turning her attention to her house. "I purposefully avoided you and anyone who knew me . . . just in case"

"I never forgot" Kakashi said so quietly anyone other than Minori mightn't have heard him but she had and her eyes were wide even as she stared at the ground.

"Even though there was nothing to come of that night huh? That we weren't in a relationship?" Minori said, a hint of accusation in her voice. Kakashi just turned his head away from her. "I took the liberty of trying to fix your students for you . . . I've got your pink haired girl to go pay a visit to one of Gai's pre-dawn training sessions . . . that should either make her drop out or stick around for the long haul"

"And the Uchiha?" Kakashi asked turning back to Minori

"That one is a lot more complicated . . . I owe the boy . . . I was there that night but I couldn't do anything . . . it was all I could do to just bust out of the Genjutsu he put me under" Minori said shifting her attention back to Kakashi.

"Itachi put you under?" kakashi asked, an air of incredulity.

"No . . . worse . . . much much worse" minori said and Kakashi got a sinking feeling that he didn't want to know who . . . thus he asked.

"Who?" Who rasped out so quietly.

"Obito" came the one word reply and Kakashi felt the world turn upside down.

"No! That can't be! You're wrong! Obito is dead!" Kakashi shouted out, coming inches from Minori's face who just stood there eyes closed.

"His voice was unmistakable, mannerisms . . . fighting style, what little I saw . . . tell me Kakashi, did you see Obito draw his last breath? Did you see the light go out in his eyes? Feel his heart give out? Did he die in front of you?" Minori said, questioning Kakashi who stood stock still, one eye wide open. "Kakashi . . . did you see him die?" Minori asked again, she already knew the answer.

"He was crushed under rocks . . ." Kakashi started

"Doton jutsu" Minori said even as Kakashi was about to. "Whoever found him dragged him out and fixed him up . . . it's most probably not the Obito we knew, I am certain someone else has gotten their mitts on him and corrupted him to their whims . . . why else would he fucking murder his entire clan?!" Minori said, almost growling.

"You've changed . . . more mature" Kakashi said though with an undercurrent of Minori still being the same person he knew . . . just with new features.

"Six years of living as anyone other than myself coupled with a few times I've done it since then . . . I still have some of the habits I created for some of the characters I became" Minori said and the two turned back to the house they had been staring at. "Had any human contact since I left?" Minori asked, a coy smile on her face.

"Anko . . . once, after a mission" Kakashi replied "It wasn't the same" he added and Minori smiled fondly at the man. Minori put a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and turned to leave when suddenly her hand got caught by Kakashi. Minori turned back and saw the look that Kakashi gave her, the look that said he hadn't forgotten. Minori opened her mouth to respond but stopped and looked down at her hand, suddenly she felt like a fourteen year old again and saw that boy she knew so long ago.

"Kakashi . . ." Minori whispered forlornly only to close her eyes. "I haven't forgotten either" she said before opening her eyes again.

* * *

 **well, that's the end of another chapter . . . it's 03:00 . . . in . . . right abooooooout . . . now. so please excuse all of the errors . . . in any case, if you don't know what Minori and Kakashi were saying about that whole "remembrance" stuff then you should go back and read chapter 3/4 (although it's labeled as chapter 4 on the chapter list)**

 **In any case, tell me what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of. until next time, take care.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Greetings everyone! first of all, thank you to everyone who has read up to this point! it means a lot to me that you have managed to stick with me for a story that is hitting 37,000 words by now (it appears like it's more because of all the authors notes I keep putting in) in any case, enjoy the story and I shall see you at the bottom!**

* * *

 **Part 7**

"So what is the mission assignment?" came the gruff voice of a man wearing an ANBU mask with three other ANBU behind him.

"You are heading into the land of rice paddies . . . this assignment is a retrieval mission, the person in question is highly valuable to me . . . however, there are complications in the retrieval aspect" Explained Minori, leaning against the wall of an abandoned building in the middle of a forest outside of Konoha.

"Complications?" Asked a decidedly female ANBU member wearing a mask with a cat design.

"You need to retrieve the girl but you need to make it look like she has been kidnaped and you need to make sure that the kidnapping can't be traced to anything" Minori replied, her arms folded across her chest.

"What? How exactly do you want this done?" asked another ANBU.

"This girl has vital information . . . well, vital for me anyway . . . if my enemy learns that she has been taken, they will immediately start asking who took her" Minori explained. "If the answer is Konoha, or another source that can be traced back to me, any information the girl has will become irrelevant . . . I'd rather avoid that if I can" Minori kept her face expressionless as she explained this.

"So the best way to do this would be to make it look like someone hired missing-nin and then the deal went bad" Mused the lead ANBU.

"Preferably make it look like that it was an enemy of the girl's parents . . . her father has a few that would be in a position to do that . . . they of course can't survive and you will need to forge some documents stating that the person in question has hired missing-nin" Minori said and the team of ANBU in front of her nodded

"Excuse me for asking . . . but normally ANBU don't take missions for clients" Asked the female ANBU member.

"It's not unheard of . . . especially when the topic at hand could be of value to the village . . . and this is just the latest example of why Sarutobi needs better ANBU" Minori replied and the four other members of the ANBU squad gave disapproving looks to their female member.

* * *

"Anko! Mitarashi Anko!" Came the voice of Minori as she caught up with the woman in question.

"Who are you?" Anko challenged as she eyed Minori with suspicion

"Hmm? Oh Minori, Konoha's resident Fuinjutsu master . . . Jiraiya is a hack" Minori replied

"What do you want with me then?" Anko asked, still eyeing Minori with suspicion.

"Gee, what would a master of Fuinjutsu want with you?" Minori asked sarcastically "It probably has nothing to do with the hickey from hell right?" again, Minori piled the sarcasm on thick.

"Y-you know about that" suddenly Anko became very vulnerable "C-can you . . . do you know how to remove it?" Hope filled the girl's eyes and Minori gave her a warm smile.

"I want to find that out, I need a look at that seal though so . . . unless you want to do it here on the street" Minori said

"Umm . . . my house?" Anko asked almost timidly and received a nod from Minori

It only took the two a few minutes to reach Anko's house, once inside Minori had Anko sit on her knees with her shoulder, and the cursed seal by extension, exposed for Minori's inspection.

"Hmm, hmmmmm mmmhmmm" Minori hummed

"What? Can you tell what's going on? Can you remove it?" Anko was almost frantic with hope but Minori just burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Anko frowned, almost growling, she was beginning to feel like this was a trap and that she was stupid for falling for it. Anko was already mapping out ways to get her hands on a weapon when Minori's voice came to her.

"If anyone ever tells you they can tell what a seal like this does just by looking at it, they are lying" Minori said, her amusement evident.

"B-but that's what both Jiraiya AND the Hokage did" Anko said, confusion now entering her voice. "Sure both of them said it was beyond them . . . but still, that's what they did"

"And that, my dear, is why I am the master and they, are not" Minori said with a grin as she fished a scroll out from nowhere. "The best Fuinjutsu users disguise their seals as something else. The seal keeping the Kyuubi inside Naruto is in the image of the Uzumaki swirl, the caged bird seal is in the shape of a . . . yep you guessed it, a caged bird" Minori explained as she opened the scroll and placed the paper over the top of Anko's seal. "The idea is to prevent someone from just seeing the seal and either deactivating it, or copying it. Of course, this in turn applies to curse seals . . . sometimes. Despite what people think, Curse seals are not automatically genius level seals" Minori said as she started channeling chakra through the paper and into the seal, activating a seal of her own and watching as lines of ink started to spread across the scroll's paper. "Curse seals are seals that are double edged . . . or specifically designed to do damage as well as their primary function. The Hyuuga curse seal for instance, is designed to destroy the eyes in the case of death but has the added effect of destroying the brain whenever certain people activate the seal" Minori finished channeling chakra into the paper, took the scroll off of Anko's shoulder and inspected the lines of text and the shapes they make. "This one is designed to give you a power boost, mess with your head and attempt to make you loyal to the owner of this seal . . . it doesn't really care what happens to the body after the fact so continued use of this seal would shorten your life by years . . ." Minori sighed and sat down opposite Anko, her hand resting on her chin as she thought about the issue

"C-can you remove it?" Anko asked, she didn't like how thoughtful Minori had become.

"Easily" Minori said without hesitation but she was still staring at Anko like she was trying to puzzle out what to do.

"T-then what's the problem?" Anko asked

"Do you want me to remove it?" Minori asked, taking her hand from her chin and leaning towards Anko, giving her a serious look

"HELL YES!" Anko shouted "Why would you even ask that! I want this fucking thing removed!"

"Well . . . I can do that . . . or . . . I can change it, make it into a completely different curse seal . . . turn it into something that would be totally unique to you" Minori said, picking up the scroll and giving it a cursory glance to check some detail written on it.

"W-what do you mean?" Asked Anko hesitantly

"I could remove all the bad stuff that our little pedo plugged into you . . . mind control, pain on command . . . that sorta stuff. And in it's place, I could perfect the power boost it gives, mess around with the transformation aspects . . . you would even have a margin of use before you start skimming years off the top . . . the problem is, my version would likely do damage to the chakra system after prolonged use . . . use it too much in one go and you would be giving up your life as a ninja . . . but you would be jumping from A ranked to S ranked . . . even if you would be better off only using it for a few minutes at best" Minori explained. "Imagine that epic fuck you the next time you meet mister wet noodle and suddenly you are on his level" Minori said, giving Anko a big grin and soon, Anko started returning that grin.

"What chances are there of things going wrong?" Anko asked giving the concept a good deal of thought

"It's a good chance . . . but if anything goes wrong I will simply stop the changing process and remove the seal altogether . . . one of the things that could happen is that you might even get a kekkei genkai out of it" Minori explained, already plotting out her seal.

"Wait . . . what?" Anko said "How would that happen?" she asked.

"Hmmm? Oh, actually most Kekkei Genkai were created as a result of Fuinjutsu . . . ever wondered why only the Shodaime could use the Mokuton despite a lot of clan Senju having earth and water elements? Yeah, he had a seal on him to help channel his chakra and mold it properly" Minori said absently as she continued studying the curse seal.

"Alright then . . . I'll do it, if it gives me one up on the fucking bastard . . . I'll do it!" Anko said, a feral grin spreading across her face. "How much time do you need to get ready?" she asked.

"It'll take me a few hours to draw up the seal . . . probably want to pick the place to get the seal down so I can get started . . . after that, the process will take an hour, maybe two so you might want to clear a whole day and possibly the next cause I'm sure it's gonna mess you up a little afterwards" Minori said and Anko nodded.

"Can we do it here?" she asked and Minori nodded

"I'll get to work then" Minori replied left to go get supplies.

* * *

"Yeah, gonna need you to strip . . . leave everything outside of the circle" Minori said to Anko who began dutifully taking her clothes off. "Just in case you were wondering, this is gonna need as much skin contact as possible . . . it's probably going to tingle . . . and not in the good way" that last comment got a chuckle from Anko as she finished slipping into her birthday suit and got into the circle. "Now kneel in the centre and I'm gonna draw on you" Anko obliged and Minori pulled out her ink and brush.

Half an hour later and Minori was done drawing the rest of the seal with lines of text running from the three tomoe mark on Anko's shoulder right down to the circle she was kneeling.

"This is the where it begins I suppose" Minori said as she got up, cut her hand on a knife that appeared in her other hand and walked around the circle, flicking blood onto various parts of the seal. Anko was getting slightly worried by this, especially as Minori seemed to be chanting something under her breath but Anko couldn't hear what.

"S-so . . . is this gonna hurt?" Anko asked as Minori came to a stop in front of her and got on her hands and knees, her hands inside the circle.

"Probably . . . try not to move, it could be problematic" Minori said with a blank expression and an emotionless voice. "Don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen to you" Minori said with some warm emotion that immediately made Anko feel better. Anko took a deep breath. "Ready?" asked Minori. Anko took another deep breath, and nodded. Minori poured her chakra into the sealing array and Anko felt the lines of text running along her body move upwards and into the seal, it felt like a red hot branding being shoved against her skin. She screwed her eyes shut and growled at the pain but other than that, she kept perfectly still as the seconds ticked by, one at an agonizing time. Just as Anko was reaching the end of her endurance, the pain wound down until she felt the process stop completely. Opening her eyes, she realised she had been crying at some point and that the seal was gone with nothing but Minori watching her.

"Is . . . Is it done?" Anko asked in a shaky voice.

"How do you feel?" was her only reply.

"I feel . . . light . . . f-free" Anko said, her voice choking up. "It . . . I . . . so clean . . . it's beautiful" Anko promptly passed out.

* * *

"So you had your cursed mark changed?" Sarutobi asked incredulously. Anko nodded, a grin plastered on her face. "May I see it?" The old man asked and Anko shrugged, walking over to him and presenting her shoulder. On her shoulder were two tomoe marks together with their tails facing downwards, making the general outline of a heart that had been split down the middle.

"Minori-sama calls it the Sundered Heart seal" Anko said softly.

"Minori-sama? I think this is the first time I've ever heard of you speak of anyone with such honorifics before" Sarutobi said with a light chuckle.

"T-there was one other" Anko said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. The implications however, were not lost to Sarutobi who immediately recognised where the girl's loyalties were now firmly entrenched.

"Can you be absolutely certain there are no control aspects of this new seal?" Sarutobi asked

"WHAT?! Are you accusing Minori-sama of controlling me!?" Anko shouted, causing Sarutobi to grimace at the loud noise, Anko could be extraordinarily loud when she wanted to be.

"Not what I meant girl" Sarutobi said with a sigh. Anko calmed right down after that. "I meant, are you certain all of Orochimaru's machinations have been dealt with?" Sarutobi asked.

"Oh. . . umm hehehe yeah, they were taken care of, I can even feel the difference" Anko said sheepishly, one hand rubbing the back of her head and a sheepish grin plastered on her face. Sarutobi sighed, the girl was adorable sometimes . . . like a puppy . . . very much like Naruto used to be.

"Good, now that we have a way of dealing with the curse seal I feel a lot better about this whole mess" Sarutobi said "what precisely does this new seal do though?" asked the aging Hokage

"It's a power boost . . . umm, it also has a few extra features . . . hard to explain really . . . but yeah. Minori-sama said that it would boost me from A rank to S rank for a few minutes . . . after that, I risk burning out my chakra network" Anko said, shrugging as she finished. "Personally, if I ever use it, It will probably mean I ain't coming back alive anyway"

"In any case, it's good that you are finally rid of that curse" Sarutobi said, even as he wondered if the same techniques could be applied to remove the caged bird seal. "Well then, if that is all, it's good that the last vestment of that traitor is finally gone" Sarutobi said and Anko got the dismissal in his words and left. "If I didn't know any better . . . I'd say you might be building up for a coup" Sarutobi said to thin air after the door to his office clicked shut. Minori appeared out of nowhere and gave Sarutobi a grin.

"Thankfully you do know better" the woman said, her arms folded as she regarded Sarutobi.

"Is there any particular reason you refuse to use my title?" asked Sarutobi as he examined a document that needed work.

"You don't deserve it" was the simple reply and Hiruzen's eyes snapped open in surprise. "I will always respect your power, your skill, your accomplishments . . . but you should have stayed retired . . . if there was a better option, I know you would have taken it but still, the Sandaime has retired" Minori said sighing as she walked over to the window. The sun had already set and darkness covered Konoha like a blanket yet, even with the night time, the city was still bright with lights shining in almost every window save for one area of the city sized village. "Where was the Hokage when _they_ needed help" Minori said, indicating the darkened patch of Konoha. "And what on Kami's world were you thinking when you offered a visibly insane fourteen year old the position of Hokage?" Minori turned back to face Sarutobi, her eyes holding her expectation of his answer.

"You were skilled . . . Intelligent . . . I don't know" Sarutobi said sighing as well "I'm tired Minori . . . so tired" A tear gathered in the corner of the old man's eye and fell. "I've seen so much war and death . . . all of the shinobi wars I have lived through. I've sent so many people to their deaths, made so many decisions . . . Minato was my best hope . . . you saw how that ended" Minori turned back to the window.

"My agents in the land of rice paddies . . . haven't reported in a while . . . I hired those ANBU to find a girl . . . she managed to get a message to me. It was brief, nothing in it other than that it managed to convey that she knew what was going on" Minori said softly. Sarutobi nodded as he got to work on another document. "Can you hear them?" Minori asked

"Hear what?" Sarutobi replied, turning his attention to the woman.

"Drums . . . drums on the horizon" minori said cryptically. "The drums of war" Sarutobi took in a deep breath.

"It's going to hit us isn't it? There is nothing I can do to stop it . . . I'm not sure I can handle another war Minori-chan" Sarutobi said "Perhaps it's time you took the hat" Minori whirled around at break neck pace.

"You know why I can't do that!" Minori exclaimed looking back at the old man

"You can . . . you are practically running this village already! Stop acting childish girl!" Sarutobi said, raising his voice.

"We . . . we need to present a strong front . . ." Minori said, looking away from Sarutobi "We can't afford a change in leadership right now . . . we are hosting the next exams after all . . . when that is over . . . then maybe we can talk" Sarutobi regarded the woman carefully before returning to his paperwork, it was likely he would be here all night at this rate, he was really regretting spending the day watching the students that had graduated. "Go home Hiruzen" came Minori's voice as she watched the old man with a faint smile. "I'll do the work for you"

"You know I can't do that . . ." Sarutobi said

"Yes you can, you're the Hokage, anyone gives you grief . . . put em in their place" Minori replied with a grin

"Troublesome woman . . . I should change my name to Nara at this rate" Sarutobi said with a faint smile of his own. "Very well, but I will be leaving ANBU here . . . don't getting any funny ideas" he said, putting down the sheet of paper and raising from his seat. Putting his hat on, Sarutobi turned and walked towards the door. "Don't stay up too late Minori" He said over his shoulder before leaving. Minori took his seat, pulled out a pen, picked up a document and began working.

"Wait . . . what the? How?" Minori said as she studied the piece of paper in front of her. Minori's face darkened into a scowl "A reckoning will come" she said ominously. She was quite very aware that Hiruzen had left that piece of paper for her to find on purpose, perhaps as a demonstration of exactly just how bad things had been getting. Putting the paper aside, Minori schooled her features and began the task of doing all of the old kage's paperwork but this time she carefully inspected each document, putting one aside every so often.

* * *

"So . . . pretty little city you have here . . . Nee-chan" said a girl around the age of twelve as she and Minori sat in Minori's living room.

"It's rather homely isn't it?" Minori replied, sipping a cup of tea. "So . . . I'm fairly certain we have never met" Minori said in a conversational tone, despite the barely hidden meaning.

"I . . . yes, we have never met" the girl said looking away, she had brown hair that was worn down with two pig-tails hanging off the side of her head, just behind the ears while the rest of her hair fell to her shoulders. "My name is Kusawashima Yuriko . . . daughter of the Daimyo of the land of Rice Paddies . . . I . . . my father is dead . . . he met an unfortunate accident coincidentally after he refused the Otokage's request to be allowed to levy civilians into some form of army . . . My uncle was less . . . confrontational" the girl said as she stared into her own cup of tea. Three Samurai were also in the living room, intently watching Minori

"And these fine gentlemen here? I hope they are very aware that I could kill all three of them simultaneously before this cup of tea hit the table" Minori said, adding the last part for their benefit incase they got funny ideas.

"Them? Oh, I hired them to aid in my escape . . . had I known you'd sent Ninja, I probably wouldn't have wasted good funds but still, quality retainers are always worth their prices and they have proved they are of the best quality" Yuriko said, picking up her cup of tea and taking a sip.

"Nakamoto Kenji, Shiruyama Hiro, Akasuchi Motsuma" Came the deep voice of the middle samurai. All three of them wore simple Kimono suits with the middle one, Kenji, wearing a lime green Kimono suit, his left man, Hiro, wearing a dark blue Kimono suit and Motsuma on the right of him, wore a tan suit. Minori nodded at them.

"You said the Otokage was levying the masses?" Asked Minori as she regarded the girl.

"Yes . . . the ninja from Otogakure have been teaching them how to use weapons and chakra . . . either comply or their families die" Yuriko replied Minori took in a deep breath as she thought things through

"That's a problem . . ." Minori said simply "That's a big problem" Minori pulled out a piece of paper from nowhere and began writing down a message on it. "I have to go get this message sent off . . . feel free to stay here, there is a guest bedroom, one other person lives here, a boy your age, probably be home soon . . . I will find you better accommodations as soon as I am able" Minori said as she got up and walked towards the door. "You have plenty of protection for now" she said as she gave the samurai a glance before leaving.

"Not much to go on Hime-sama" Kenji said as he eyed up the door Minori had just left through.

"She is famed for her bingo book entry" replied Yuriko, tossing Kenji a copy of the book in question, already marked with the page in question.

"This can't be right!" Kenji exclaimed

"We shall see" was the girl's reply as she continued sipping her tea. "This at least, proves to be entertaining" she said just as the door opened again and Naruto walked in. he blinked, she blinked, Kenji blinked.

"Um hi" the boy said awkwardly.

" _Damn he's cute"_ thought Yuriko

"Hi . . . I'm Yuriko . . . I'm only here until I've found a new place to live . . . please be good to me!" Yuriko said, finishing the traditional greeting with a short bow.

"Uhh Naruto . . . Hinata's gonna kill me" the boy said in reply.

" _A rival! Could she be his girlfriend already? I must have more information!"_ Yuriko thought again while Kenji looked on with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

* * *

 **well, that's done . . . firstly, allow me to apologize for my slow updates . . . I need at least 4 to 5 hours available to write a chapter and I usually prefer those 4 to 5 hours to be not in the morning . . . i do better work when i'm not struggling to keep my eyes open.**

 **I can't help but think that the quality of my work is dropping off as I go on . . . but for now at least, the plot is moving, will that random girl i just threw in be of any value in the coming story? is she there for plot? or for justice? will i finally get Naruto laid? should i? which of the two (now three) girls would you recommend as a shipping choice for our hero that has received mysteriously little screen time . . . yeah . . . i should really write more from Naruto's perspective shouldn't i?**

 **in any case, tell me what you liked, disliked, what you would like to see more of and what you thought could use improvement.**

 **Take care.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Greetings everyone! this is the next monthly update ! although when i started this fic, i totally didn't intend for it to be monthly . . . at least it's consistent!**

 **alright, a couple things to go through before we begin:**

 **Firstly, I hate this chapter . . . it has some nice character and some good stuff between some characters . . . but i hate this chapter, i just couldn't get the ball rolling, it didn't end up anywhere near where i had it planned before i started some time ago and just . . . yeah, i hate this chapter.**

 **secondly, when the show says "Hell viewing technique" they showed sakura some image of a thing that was very easy to get over . . . in this instance it was Sasuke in pain and calling for her help . . . when I say "Hell Viewing Technique" . . . well, you will see.**

 **hope you all enjoy, see you at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Part 8**

"This is usually my spot" came the voice of Kakashi as he moved to stand beside Minori, they were both standing in front of the memorial stone, not far from where the new team seven was supposed to be meeting.

"Yeah . . . but lately I can't help to just stop and stare" Minori said quietly, "Kushina-sensei keeps appearing in the form of apparitions . . . like she is still watching us from on high . . . and then there is the matter of him" the atmosphere between the two got tense at the mere mention of Obito

"What did the Hokage say afterwards?" the silver haired man asked

"I never told him it was Obito" came Minori's reply.

 _Flashback to four years earlier_

"Minori-chan" said the Hokage as he found Minori by the memorial stone.

"So many new names that won't be added" was the woman's reply

"You know who it was that caused this don't you?" Sarutobi said quietly as he joined Minori.

"I'd say you but that's not what you mean . . . the answer is, I'm not going to tell you" Minori said, her eyes never leaving the stone. Sarutobi for his part, snapped his eyes to Minori.

"You would hold back vital information on a great enemy to the village!?" he growled

"Never . . . this isn't vital information and the only thing it will accomplish is causing you unneeded stress and anguish . . . you are already far to bad at your job for new distractions . . . don't worry, I have Itachi keeping an eye on the situation . . . the problem is that the person he is tracking has just fell off the face of the planet . . . but I know where he is to reappear so that isn't an issue and I can let you know when he does" Minori explained, never taking her eyes off the stone.

"You should still tell me" Sarutobi said quietly, returning his attention to the stone.

"You should have trusted me" was Minori's reply before she left the aged Hokage standing by the stone that, despite the massive loss, will be receiving no new names.

 _Present time_

"You have a team to test don't you Kakashi?" Minori asked quietly

"I . . . I can't . . . not yet" he replied as they both stared at the stone. "Despite what you said . . . the Obito I knew is dead . . . he died that day and this new one? He is just a pale imitation" Minori shifted closer to the silver jounin until they were brushing arms.

"I agree, there is no way Obito would have done the things he did . . . I also suspect he may have been involved with sensei's death . . . and yours for that matter" Minori said before the two let out a synchronised sigh.

"Obito . . . what have you gotten yourself into" Kakashi said softly.

* * *

"Morning guys!" Naruto chirped energetically as he, Sasuke and Sakura all entered the prearranged meeting place.

"Morning" Sakura said tiredly, she looked like she had gotten up a touch too early but her hair and appearance were immaculate.

"Hn" Sasuke grunted and, despite clearing not liking the early start, he was keeping everything locked up under the famous Uchiha Stoicism

"Did we all remember to have a nice hearty breakfast?" Naruto asked knowing the answer would be a resounding no.

"Sensei told us not to eat breakfast Naruto-baka!" Sakura replied, drawing looks from both Sasuke and Naruto who were both wondering exactly what was going through the girl's head and why she was suddenly different from yesterday.

"Actually, Sensei merely suggested we don't eat breakfast . . . he didn't order us to and besides that, a survival exercise requires surviving . . . that's a little hard to do without eating anything" Naruto said with a sigh as he brushed a spot on his Obi and a scroll popped into his hand. Sasuke's eyes honed in on the occurrence and started drinking in details while Sakura merely widened her eyes a little.

"Dobe . . . what's with the scroll?" Sasuke asked, his curiosity getting the better of him

"Breakfast" Naruto replied simply as he rolled it across the ground and unsealed three packets.

"I don't want any . . . I'm on a diet" Sakura said as she turned her head away from the food. Naruto stopped what he was doing to stare at Sakura while Sasuke was doing the same. "What?" the girl asked.

"Why are you on a diet?" Naruto asked simply

"To keep my figure of course!" Sakura answered without hesitation

"Who told you that? Whoever they are don't like you very much, not eating breakfast is how you get unhealthy . . . I bet you don't eat any good red meat do you?" Naruto asked.

"It's what my mother said . . . I need to look good in order to get a husband and should avoid eating things like red meat because that's the food of soldiers . . ." Sakura stopped talking and hung her head a little. "What's for breakfast?" she said with a heavy sigh and it was clear to Naruto that she came to the same realisation as he did.

"Oats, nuts and a couple bits of fruit, that style of food is light while providing fiber and other energy giving nutrients for a long day, it's standard issue in field rations" Naruto said before tapping a seal on the bottom of each packet, pulling out three spoons, ripping open the packets and handing the a packet to both Sasuke and Sakura before digging into his own

"Where did you learn to do sealing? Asked Sasuke after the three had finished their quick meals.

"Nee-chan taught me of course . . . now we need to come up with a battle plan" Naruto replied

"Wait" Sakura said, cocking her head to the side "Why do we need to come up with a plan?"

"Because there is no way three genin are gonna beat a jounin and Kakashi is a war veteran so it's likely three chunin wouldn't be able to either" Naruto replied and both Sakura and Sasuke grimaced.

"Still, this is IF what you say is correct . . . I think we wait and see and if you are right, then we plan" said Sasuke, as he studied Naruto.

"Fine, let's at least exchange skills while we aren't being observed" Naruto said, sighing heavily as he did so.

"You first dobe" replied Sasuke while Sakura nodded.

"Fine, my Ninjutsu is almost non-existent save for the the substitution jutsu and the transformation jutsu but added to that I have shadow clone jutsu and form shift jutsu" Naruto explained to his two teammates.

"Shadow clone? Form shift?" Sakura asked, cocking her head to one side while Sasuke studied Naruto intently.

"Yeah, shadow clone is an infiltration jutsu that creates a solid copy of yourself and transfers memories back to the original upon destruction. Usually only Jounin use this Jutsu and it's classed as a Forbidden Jutsu due to the extremely high chakra cost of it but I have extremely high chakra reserves . . . to the point where I can't use most standard Jutsu" Naruto explained, sticking his arms behind his head in a resting posture. "Form shift however, is my first original jutsu"

"Wait!? You created your own jutsu!?" Sakura asked quickly, not quite believing what she just heard. Even Sasuke looked like he was surprised.

"Yup, wasn't that hard to make it actually . . . Now while I can't teach you guys Shadow clones . . . I can teach you Form shift" Naruto said, a smirk on his face at the two's reactions.

"What does it do?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

"Exactly as the title proclaims . . . you can change your form. Like a transformation cept you actually become what you transformed into . . . completely solid, no blurs, not an illusion" Naruto explain and watched as his two teammates' eyes bugged out "For instance, Sasuke, throw me at that tree" Naruto said before slamming his hands together in the ram sign and turning into a Kunai. Sasuke picked up the Naruto kunai and weighed it in his hands, noticing that it felt exactly like a standard issue kunai. He even ran his thumb along the edge and noticed that he had drawn blood.

"This is real" Sasuke said at last before standing up and throwing it at the tree Naruto had pointed out. Before the kunai had gotten far though, Naruto popped back into his original form and grinned at Sasuke and Sakura.

"So . . .wanna learn the Jutsu?" Naruto asked them cheekily

* * *

"Dammit dobe! Don't look so smug!" Sasuke growled at the grinning Naruto. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura had met up in a secluded spot after Kakashi had told them to start. It had come to no surprise to Naruto when Kakashi had brought out the two bells but now that he had, the team had no idea on what to do.

"Yeah well, if you two had listened to me the first time, we could have had a plan by now, maybe even trapped the living daylights out of this forest" Naruto replied to the scowling Uchiha.

"Guys! Now isn't the time!" Sakura stated as she looked back and forth between the two boys "So what do we do Naruto?" she asked.

"Ummmm . . . I don't know . . . I mean, I'm good but I'm not that good" Naruto said, suddenly a little self conscious when his two teammates were looking at him for leadership

"Fine, then we just charge at him and see what happens" Sasuke said as he made to get up.

"That won't work, we can't just fight a jounin let alone an elite jounin" Sakura said as she put her hand on Sasuke's arm to stop him.

"So then what do you suggest?" Sasuke asked, almost glaring at Sakura. For her part, Sakura bit her lip in thought.

"Naruto" she said, looking back at the blonde "How many clones can you make and how long can they hold their transformations for?"

"Erm . . . a couple hundred and if I did that many, they'd be able to hold your jutsu for twenty minutes give or take.

"Make twelve and have them shift into caltrops then Sasuke, you take those caltrops and get ready to use them" Sakura commanded as she looked between the two boys who both blinked at her and then nodded and twelve caltrops suddenly appeared in view which Sasuke collected. "Come, I'll show you where to use them and when"

"Hey, what about me?" Naruto asked cocking his head to the side and folding his arms across his chest.

"I need you to go fight Kakashi, see how long you can draw his attention for" Sakura replied causing Naruto to nod. "When we are ready to spring the trap, I'll make my presence known and Kakashi will no doubt try and mess with me afterwards"

* * *

"You are pretty weird . . . you know that right?" Kakashi said to Naruto who was grinning in front of him.

"You and me right here, right now, fair and square!" Naruto said with enthusiasm while Kakashi merely sighed and reached for his book. "Hey! Are you reading?!" Naruto asked indignantly

"Hmm?" Kakashi looked up from his little orange book "Yes, I wanted to know what happened next, don't worry, with your weak attacks, it won't really matter if I'm reading" Kakashi said, now visibly diverting all of his attention to his book. For his part, Naruto just grinned.

" _Cleaver, excellent way to rile up the opponent and get them to make foolish mistakes"_ Naruto thought as he looked at the silver haired opponent. "So you don't know what happens eh?" Naruto asked, his grin turning malicious "Would it interest you to note that I've read that book?" this grabbed Kakashi's attention.

"I don't believe you" he said "you only just became a shinobi therefor you couldn't have bought it before now" Kakashi returned his attention back to his book.

"Then you don't mind me saying that Michiko decides to choo-" Naruto tried to say when a hand suddenly appeared over his mouth from Kakashi who had appeared behind him

"Shhhh, no need for those nasty spoilers now is there" Kakashi said with an eye smile before finally taking note that Naruto was giving him a truly malicious grin even with his hand on the boy's mouth.

Naruto turned into cloud of white smoke in that instant and all of a sudden, six naruto clones were surrounding Kakashi.

"Well, credit where it's due, nice timing on the clone and replacement jutsu Naruto but I'm afraid, these copies don't scare me" Kakashi said and was about to return to his book when he noticed that the clones were forcing the grass down. Kakashi had that split second of time to block a kick from one clone to his left, duck under a kick from behind and sweep all six clones off their feet. "Or they could be shadow clones . . . this just got interesting" he said as he tucked his book away and studying the field in front of him. There was Naruto, out in the open and obviously a trap now that Kakashi knew what the kid was up to but, before he could sweep his attention across the field and see what else was in store, Naruto charged right at him, a brace of Kunai speeding ahead of him.

Kakashi grabbed the leading kunai and used it to deflect the others before turning that kunai onto Naruto who turned into a puff of white smoke, taking the kunai that Kakashi had just used with him. Before he could think about this, several dozen more kunai appeared out of nowhere and slammed into the spot Kakashi had been in before a Naruto appeared in front of him. Moving with speed, Naruto struck with a rapid fire combo of punches, kicks and forward progress, whenever Kakashi struck back, Naruto would pop into smoke and be immediately replaced by a clone from nowhere in particular.

The fight raged for what seemed like minutes to the two combatants but to those watching, it had only been a few seconds before what everyone assumed was the real Naruto was pulled underground by a hand that suddenly appeared below him.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out, revealing her position in the tree line.

Now standing over the head of Naruto, Kakashi dusted himself off and cast a glance back at the genin.

"You really shouldn't stay still so much and having your hands in that sign ready to cast the shadow clone jutsu was just a dead giveaway, better luck next year" Kakashi said nonchalantly even as he was surprised that the boy had put up so much of a fight. _"Then again, he did beat Mizuki in hand to hand combat . . . Mizuki was almost at tokubetsu jounin level"_ Kakashi thought and then cast his attention to the rustle of leaves and foliage that indicated Sakura trying to shift positions now that she had given hers away. Kakashi merely sighed as he leisurely made his way after her.

* * *

Sakura felt dizzy for a second and could swear she was seeing leaves just flying across her vision and realised it was genjutsu. _"Genjutsu! How do we dispel that? They never taught us how to dispel Genjutsu in the academy!"_ Sakura thought as she looked around and her vision started to shift, all of a sudden she was at home and it just felt right that she should be there even though it was a Genjutsu and she knew it. Sakura walked through the building she lived in, it was a largish two story house and right now it was completely empty save for a cold chill in the air. Without her will, her hand pulled out a Kunai as she opened the door to the living room and that's when she noticed the house wasn't empty, it just had her parents in it, and their maid and Ino, Sasuke, Naruto, all of her friends.

"Sakura dear? What's the matter?" her mother said to her as she walked into the room, still holding the kunai. Sakura tried to put the kunai away but found herself unable to do so. Next, she tried to speak, even one word and maybe one of the others would know how to dispel Genjutsu but she couldn't speak, all she did was walk up to her mother.

"What's wrong dear?" her mother asked again, a frown on her face. Sakura now found her mouth opening.

"Die" was the one word Sakura said as she thrust her kunai right into the stomach of her mother while, mentally, she was throwing every ounce of her will at her body in a desperate attempt to stop herself but to no avail. Out came the kunai with a sickening squelch and right back in it went, making another squelch while her mother made a strange gurgling scream as pandemonium broke out.

Sakura's mother began trying to ask "Why?" to her daughter but Sakura couldn't answer, she stabbed until the light in her mother's eyes faded and then turned to her father, pounced on him and slit his throat before turning to sasuke who was backing away in fear. Sakura was desperate, she was screaming at herself to stop but instead, she walked forward, thrusting the bloody knife right into the underside of Sasuke's jaw and ripped it back out again. Naruto tried to make a break for it but the kunai whistled and slammed into the back of his neck, leaving him to slide across the blood drenched floor. Finally, all that was left was Ino as sakura pulled out a fresh kunai and walked over to the girl who was now on the floor in the corner, screaming something that Sakura couldn't hear. Sakura raised her kunai but this was finally where her will overrode the Genjutsu as the she held her arm there, Ino was still screaming something but now Sakura was locked in battle with her own body, adamant that Ino would live, adamant that she wouldn't kill her. The kunai wouldn't take no for an answer and insisted on moving, it had to go somewhere, it had to kill something and it wanted Ino but Sakura wouldn't let it she wasn't going to kill her best friend, not under this silly Genjutsu. All the fury of Sakura's will came crashing down on her arm, if the weaponed wanted blood, it would have her own and Sakura brought it to her throat, ready to draw it across and end this but something stopped her. Sakura's arm wouldn't move and so she struggled.

"No! Let me kill myself dammit!" she cried out as she tried desperately to free herself and enact the final blow.

"It's a Genjutsu!" came a voice that sounded so much like her own

"I know that, but I won't kill my best friend!" Sakura said to whoever was holding her back.

"This isn't real! None of it is real!" came the voice and that stopped Sakura finally, this wasn't real and suddenly, that one admission reminded her of where she was and, with that force of will she had earlier used to break the Genjutsu's intent to kill Ino, she forced herself to stop seeing it. She forced the Genjutsu out and slowly, opened her eyes that she had no idea where closed.

"Where?" Sakura asked as she looked up, she was on her knees and holding a kunai in her lap. Vivid memories of her slaughtering her family shot through her mind, the blood, the smell, the screaming. Sakura closed her eyes and forced it all down, tears streaming down her face and her knuckles holding the blade in her hand were white. Sakura looked up, sheer determination in her eyes, she might be no match for Kakashi, but she would fight, if only to protect those precious to her from being killed.

* * *

"I'm not like the others" Sasuke said with a smirk as he stood across from Kakashi who stood in the middle of a dozen caltrops.

"Is that so?" Kakashi asked with a bored tone of voice "prove it" he said in a more serious expression. _"Good plan with these caltrops but, that doesn't mean anything . . . still, better take this more seriously"_ Kakashi thought to himself.

For his part, Sasuke's smirk just got a little wider and suddenly Kakashi had a thought that maybe he was caught in a trap. This thought was confirmed when the caltrops suddenly turned into a dozen Naruto clones and several simultaneous attacks were made against Kakashi who was suddenly forced to duck and weave through a complex series of Taijutsu manoeuvres that looked well practiced. It was after a couple seconds of this that Kakashi realised Sasuke was still there and firing off a jutsu he hadn't seen the hand signs for but it became immediately obvious when a fire ball came hurtling towards him. Kakashi fired off a quick replacement jutsu and found himself standing in a tree that had once occupied a clone, or so he thought as now a blast of pink was right in the way of the fireball jutsu and Kakashi had no time to try and get her out of the way. The Jutsu slammed home and Sakura screamed long and loud before the screaming died away and all that was left was a blackened crater and a badly burnt Sakura who wasn't moving at all. Sasuke was visibly panicking as he rushed over to Sakura frantically searching for any sign of life and shaking her, hoping she would wake up. Kakashi was watching from less than a foot away, sadness filling his heart as he realised that his actions had just killed one of his genin.

It was at the moment that Kakashi turned his back on the corpse of Sakura and the panicking Naruto that a jingling was heard and a hand was felt on his hip where the bells were kept. So distracted by Sakura's supposed death, Kakashi didn't notice that she had gotten up, ran over to him and lifted the bells right off his belt and was now standing there grinning with bells in hand.

"Wait . . . what?" Kakashi asked, he had seen Sakura take the hit and she was badly burnt, he could see it . . . until, with a bit of white smoke, Sakura's appearance changed back into her normal self, her normal unhurt self.

"I think we win Kakashi" Said Naruto from a branch in the trees, his arms folded across his chest

"Well . . . that was interesting to say the least" Kakashi began "Now Sakura, who do you want to take through with you?" he asked and Sakura threw a bell to Naruto without hesitation. "Oh? And why Naruto? Didn't he score last in the class? Wouldn't you have rather prefered Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, wondering if they already got the meaning of this test or not.

"No need, daddy's on the council so I know they ordered you to pass Sasuke which means he has a wild card, all that was left was me and Naruto. Now that we have the bells, we both pass and Sasuke has his wild cards sooooo" Sakura explained, leaving the sentence open for Kakashi to end.

"Clever . . . well, you all pass then . . . congratulations" Kakashi said with a sigh and at the same time noticing that Sakura's smile was very much forced, her eyes haunted. _"What happened to her I wonder? Was it that Genjutsu I cast on her? But all she did was collapse to her knees and stop responding, if she past out . . . she didn't pass out, she has been stuck in her own private hell for who knows how long"_ Kakashi thought, analysing the situation in the space of a couple blinks of an eye. "Right then, meet me at the bridge just outside of this training ground tomorrow morning at nine and we shall perform our first real mission" Kakashi "oh and Sakura, if you don't mind, I'd like a word" Sakura was just about to leave when Kakashi said that.

* * *

"So what happened?" Kakashi asked, he and Sakura were both on the bridge he had asked them to meet at and Sakura was sitting down with her feet dangling off the side of the bridge.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked although Kakashi had the feeling she knew exactly what he meant.

"The Genjutsu" Kakashi said and he saw her stiffen "was a simple D-ranked Genjutsu that you should have been able to dispel" Kakashi studied the girl sitting there, her back to him and ramrod straight.

"They never taught us how to dispel Genjutsu" came the girl's quiet voice. Kakashi sighed, this was worse than even he could have imagined, she probably knew it was a Genjutsu but didn't know what to do about it.

"Disrupt your chakra flow, or cause yourself physical pain" Kakashi stated as he looked at her again. "What did you see?" he asked.

"The Genjutsu made me kill . . . everyone" she said quietly, barely louder than a whisper but Kakashi heard and understood what she meant by everyone. "I have an exact memory . . . I don't forget anything" was the next piece of information that slammed into Kakashi meaning now, she had the experience firmly ingrained into her mind thus preventing her from properly recovering. "I don't want to go home . . . If I do . . . I will see my parents and . . . the blood, hear the gurgles . . . smell the death" Sakura whimpered as her silent tears threatened to spill over into full blown sobbing. Kakashi stepped forward and placed a hand on her head, unsure of what to say.

"I don't think I'm the best person to talk to about this . . . I still haven't gotten over some of the things that happened during the war . . . and the Kyuubi attack" Kakashi said as he sat down beside the girl and ran his hand through her hair. "But I'm here if you need to talk"

"Thanks sensei" Sakura said quietly, leaning into Kakashi. "Do you mind if I work with a man named Gai? He apparently trains his own apprentice early in the morning" Sakura asked and she heard a snort of amusement from Kakashi.

"Gai . . . he has proclaimed himself my rival, no I don't mind . . . you probably won't be going for another one of his training sessions though, they are . . . brutal" Kakashi said before giving Sakura an eye smile. Sakura developed a small smile as well. "I need to go report that the team passed . . . get a good meal and some rest . . . you are going to need the energy" Kakashi said before standing up and looking down at his student. "Well . . . bye I guess" he said awkwardly, raising a hand in farewell before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

"So Kakashi, did team seven pass?" Sarutobi asked the scarecrow who didn't even have his book out.

"Yes, team seven passed the test" Kakashi replied even as the gasps of shock were heard from the Jounin sensei in the room.

"You finally passed a team huh Kakashi?" Asked Asuma, the ever present cigarette stuck in his mouth.

"Yes . . . even I was surprised, the made use of a loophole in the system and outsmarted me by making me believe I had accidentally gotten one of my students killed . . . of course that's when I found out that the Academy never taught them how to get out of Genjutsu . . . at all . . . so the hell viewing technique I used on the mastermind of this strategy . . . well, she is scarred for life now but what can you do" Kakashi said, shrugging at his last comment and making all the other Jounin very quiet.

"Teams eight and ten . . . do your teams also pass?" Sarutobi asked, breaking the silence

"Team eight passes" Kurenai said in her soft, melodic voice.

"Team ten also passes" Asuma said with a smirk.

"Good, everyone but Kakashi is free to leave" Sarutobi said and as one, the Jounin in the room snapped to attention and walked out save for Kakashi who continued to slouch in front of the Hokage.

"Something you need Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked looking very bored but his one visible eye showing that Sarutobi had his full attention for as long as he wanted it.

"Yes, I need your team ready for C-ranks . . . as soon as possible, preferably right after you hit the minimum quota of D-ranks necessary" Sarutobi said, pulling out his pipe and lighting it with fire chakra "this means that I want you to train Sasuke every chance you get and figure something out for your other two students" he said passed his pipe.

"Hokage-sama . . . I would prefer teaching Sakura right now . . . she is the one in most need" Kakashi replied. He didn't want to admit it, but Kakashi saw something in Sakura's eyes that made him see himself in there looking back at him, a genius throne onto the battlefield too early.

"You will still have your team training but you are the only one capable of teaching the Uchiha now . . . find someone to teach her in your stead . . . you can have her as an apprentice after the chunin exams if you so desire" Sarutobi said, his tone hard so that no mistake could be made that this wasn't an order.

"As you wish . . . Hokage-sama"

* * *

 **And here we are at the end of another chapter . . . as you can see . . . my version of the hell viewing technique is a bit more hellish than before . . . also I'm purposefully writing sakura as the genius she theoretically is . . . someone with a very good memory is very capable of remembering facts that they can then use to formulate plans and such.**

 **in any case, let me know what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of. Take care**


	11. Chapter 11

**Greetings! how are we all? why am i even asking? unless you respond in review or PM i'll never know how you are . . . oh well, still nice to ask. in any case, I have a few points to clear up with this chapter . . . i kinda like it buuuuuut i was sick while i was writing most of it . . . so quality it a little . . . questionable and content is two . . . not sure on some of those scenes . . . oh well! hope you all enjoy**

 **see you at the bottom!**

* * *

 **Part 9**

Ino woke up slowly, smiling and uttering a sigh of content as she took in the luxurious feeling of her bed sheets. The soft, almost cotton like texture of her sheets was absolutely divine. It was then that she realised something was wrong, her bed sheets were silk and not whatever she was currently laying on. Opening her eyes slowly, Ino took in her surroundings, hoping she hadn't given away the fact that she was awake just yet.

"Good morning Ino-chan" came the voice of an unknown male, preventing Ino from getting a look at anything other than her light grey bedsheets. "Oh yes, I know you are awake, not noticing that you weren't in your own home came a little too late for you to try and pretend to still be asleep" the voice continued. With a groan, Ino sat up, looking at the man in question now and noticing that there was nothing restraining her, nothing to stop her from attacking this man.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" Ino asked, venom dripping from her every word.

"Ahh, my dear, we shall get to that presently however, before we do, would you mind telling me if you can read the memories of those you use that mind body transfer jutsu on?" the man asked and Ino narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not going to help you interrogate someone" she said simply as she glared at her kidnapper.

"I want you to use it on me" he said and this got Ino's attention

"Wha? Why? Why do you want me to use it on you? I'll learn all of your secrets! You aren't supposed to give yours to me, you are supposed to take mine!" Ino said and then realised what she said a few moments later.

"While amusing as that would be, I want you to see something and it exists within my memories . . . it's why I have absconded with you as it were" the man said in reply, a smirk on his lips

"Why should I? Clearly this is serving you so I don't want any part of it!" Ino said stubbornly, crossing her arms as she did so.

"Really? Perhaps then I shall just keep you here and ransom you off to your father" the man asked, chuckling lightly. "In all honesty, if you do not wish to perform this task for me . . . you may leave" the man stepped to the side and indicated the door that was behind him. "The tunnel that serves as this facility's exit will lead you to the side of a back street near to the Yamanaka compound" he said before turning his attention back to the girl sitting in the bed.

"You're just gonna let me go? Just like that? Why should I believe you?" Ino asked, looking at the man with suspicion

"If you were to look into my memories . . . you would know" he replied cryptically. Ino needed to know what this man's intentions were and he was clearly just standing there, it would be so easy for her to just raise her hands and initiate the mind body transfer so she did just that and within less than a second, she was slumped over on the bed.

The man stood there, watching Ino's body for an indeterminate amount of time before, with a gasp, Ino straightened up and looked at the man with shock and disbelief.

"Sen . . . sei?" Ino whispered quietly, causing the man to smile warmly at her, walk around to her side of the bed and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Welcome back . . . my apprentice" the man said with a smile "I have much work to do and you have much training to do . . . we shall meet again in a few weeks, take this scroll to help you learn on your own" the man said, handing Ino the scroll he mentioned.

"Right . . . sensei . . . I guess I will see you next time" Ino said, uncertainty lacing her words.

"Indeed you shall . . . indeed you shall"

* * *

"Aren't you a bit young to be in a place like this?" said a barkeep who was greeting a young girl with pink hair.

"I'm a ninja . . . old enough to kill, old enough to drink" the girl murmured and the barkeep then noticed the haunted look in the girl's eyes. With a heavy sigh he pulled out a bottle of Sake and a cup.

"I've seen that look too many damn times" the barkeep said as he filled the cup and slid it along to the place the pink haired girl had pulled herself to "name's Shin" he grunted.

"Sakura" the girl replied as she picked up the cup and knocked the entire saucer's worth of Sake in one sitting. The girl cringed until her head was on the counter but a few seconds later she had risen it and looked at the bottle expectantly.

"What's the story behind this sitting?" Shin asked as he poured another saucer out for the girl who was clearly no older than twelve.

"They don't teach us how to get out of Genjutsu in the academy . . . I got hit with one . . . and I have an exact memory so . . ." Sakura paused long enough to knock back another saucer of the clear liquid, cringe until she got over the kick and then continue. "So I remember murdering my entire family and all of my friends very clearly . . . the smell of blood, the sound of their screams, the feeling of their hot blood" Sakura shivered and another full saucer landed in front of her which she knocked back, this time leaving her head on the counter.

"That . . . would do it" Shin agreed with a grimace, he knew he'd need words with the Hokage about the curriculum of the academy. "Seen some bad stuff in my time as well you know" he said to the girl who looked up, a little blearily. "Fought during the second and third wars . . . wasn't a picnic I can tell ya that now" he said as he pulled out a saucer for himself and poured another for Sakura. The two picked up their drinks and knocked them back together.

"My dad never wanted me to be a ninja, and mum was only a little better, she wants me to fast track to chunin so I can hide in the tower doing admin stuff" Sakura said, waving her empty cup around before setting it back down to be refilled.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Haruno Kizashi would you?" Shin asked as he remembered a bear of a man with pink hair. Sakura shook her head.

"Mum told me about him, apparently she was related to him or something so he's maybe an uncle?" Sakura said while Shin poured another saucer for her "but other than that, I never even met him, he died before I was born or so I'm told" with that the two continued talking for some time longer.

* * *

"Hey Tenten, how are you?" Naruto asked as he walked into the workshop that was attached to the Higurashi weapons shop. Tenten was sitting to the side with a kunai in one hand and sandpaper in the other, several more kunai were on a table nearby waiting to be sanded.

"Hey Naruto . . . what happened to that silly nickname you had for me?" Tenten replied, shooting the blond a grin.

"Meh, it was just a silly nickname anyway, nobody else gets it so I prefer to use it when I don't want others to know who I'm talking about" Naruto replied as he pulled up a stool and a square of sandpaper and began working on the tools with Tenten. "We passed the true genin exam" he said simply.

"Oh? Who's on your team?" Tenten asked, putting one kunai down and grabbing out another before continuing her work.

"I've got Sakura who coincidentally happens to be good at strategy, I've got Sasuke who is already using chunin grade Ninjutsu and we have Kakashi who is famed for being exactly three hours late to just about everything" Naruto said and chuckled a little "Gotta admit, kinda worried my team is gonna die on the way to the missions office let alone on our first mission"

"Well, with specs like what you just describe, I can't see how you would get to that conclusion" Tenten replied, giving the boy a glance as she did.

"Yeah, we all have skills but the thing is, it's the personality clash. Sasuke is an Uchiha, Sakura is bipolar or something and Kakashi couldn't care less if we all died" Naruto said with his chuckle turning dark "certainly going to be interesting"

"Please, I don't think it's going to be anywhere near as bad as you think it will be" Tenten said, looking directly at Naruto. "Now shut up and give me the three twenty grit" she said as she turned back to the weapon in her hand. Naruto obediently picked up a different kind of sandpaper and handed it to the girl and they went back to work.

"Oh hey . . ." Naruto began, pausing his work to look at Tenten. Hearing the tone in his voice, Tenten stopped what she was doing to look at him. Instead of saying anything, Naruto took his sword off his back and held the sheathed weapon out in front of him in both hands, his head bowed slightly. Tenten looked down at the sword and then back up at Naruto before smiling softly and taking the weapon.

"With pleasure" she said before unsheathing the weapon and taking a good look at it to see if there is any damage that would need to be repaired. "You really should bring this in more often, swords need maintenance regularly if you want them to be in prime killing condition" she said as she inspected the blade. Naruto winced at the mention of killing before he turned his head away. "You've used this" Tenten said softly, her jaw set into a hard line "By the look of it . . . they aren't getting up again" Tenten ran a finger over a section of the blade that had some blood still on it. "Let's go get something to drink afterwards" Naruto merely nodded.

* * *

"U-um . . ." Sakura began as she watched a tall man in a bowl cut wearing a green body suit. The man in question rounded on the girl with a smile so bright it was reflecting some of the rapidly descending moonlight into Sakura's eyes.

"Greetings! You are up awfully early there! Are you trying to invigorate the fires of your youth?!" Asked the man in a booming voice while he struck a pose with his thumb up.

"A-are you Gai-sensei?" Sakura asked, her desire to be there rapidly dwindling.

"Why yes, yes I am! Was there something you needed of me?! Perhaps you are here to learn the ways of YOUTH!" Sakura winced at the loud bellow that Gai issued forth to cap his statement.

"Gai-sensei! Who is this lovely flower of youth!?" exclaimed a smaller version of Gai who had mysteriously appeared next to his larger variant.

"Erm . . . my name is Haruno Sakura . . . and uhhh . . ." Sakura paused again, remembering clearly what that woman had told her but the two's over expressive nature was very oppressive and this was weighing against her desire to improve. Suddenly, a flashback to the day previous and Kakashi's Genjutsu ran through her mind and Sakura was forced to bow her head and hide her face under her hair. Gai and his clone saw this and instantly knew something was wrong but just as Gai was about to say something, Sakura lifted her head again, ripped the Hitai-ate from her head, forcefully fastened it to her forehead, looked up at the tall man and said, in a voice just as loud and booming as theirs, "HELP ME IGNITE THE FIRES OF MY YOUTH!" Gai was shocked into silence along with his clone for several heartbeats before he cracked a megawatt smile.

"Do you hear that Lee!? This young ninja needs our help to ignite the fires of her youth!" he boomed at the clone, clenching his fist in determination, an action mirrored by Lee.

"Yes Gai-sensei! If we cannot do this I will run three laps around Konoha on my hands!" Lee exclaimed

* * *

"Sakura! Why don't you put this on?" Gai asked, holding up a tiny version of the outfit both he and Lee were wearing. Sakura had already been doing some of the warm up exercises that Gai had put her too and was already mildly out of breath despite it only being half an hour in "It's breathable, retains moisture and offers complete freedom of movement all in one sweet package! If you wear it while you train you will notice an immediate improvement in all aspects of your physical training!" Sakura looked at the garment that was flapping around in the breeze in Gai's hand.

"That . . ." Sakura said, pausing while she pointed to the outfit in question "Is supposed to help me train?" she asked

"Yes! I doubt Lee wouldn't have been able to get where he is now in a year if it weren't for this body suit!" Gai exclaimed, drawing the two's attention over to where Lee was running laps around the training field they were in on his hands.

"I guess it can't hurt to wear it while I'm training . . . in that case, it won't matter if anyone sees me cause it's a training outfit . . ." Sakura said as she tried to justify wearing it to herself. Taking the garment and looking it at, it both looked and felt flimsy. "Are you sure this is even practical? I mean it feels like it'd tear if I pull it a little" she asked.

"I have been wearing my body suits for a year now through strenuous exercise and I have yet to tear my suit once despite all of the training with my most youthful teammate Tenten who is a weapons mistress" Lee said, joining in on the conversation. Sakura looked down at the garment and then back up at the two green clad ninja before sighing.

"Fine, I'll be right back" She said before heading off to put the bodysuit on.

A short while later Sakura was standing in front of Gai and Lee again with a deadpan expression on her face. The two men looked at each other before looking back at Sakura.

"Is there a problem with the outfit Sakura-chan?" Lee asked the stoney faced Sakura

"I have two questions . . ." Sakura said "What is this made out of and does this come in other colours?" She asked and immediately the two other green clad ninja grinned megawatt smiles.

* * *

Naruto took a good long look at Sakura. They were on the bridge that Kakashi had told them to meet on and currently, the most prominent feature was Sakura who was hanging over the railing like a towel out to dry. She was also garbed in a green body suit which looked completely at odds with her billowing pink hair.

"Hey Sakura . . . feeling a bit tired are we?" Naruto asked, an eyebrow cocked as he studied her response. It took several moments for Sakura to reply and when she did it was several more moments while she pried herself from the railing to look at Naruto.

"Naruto-kun? I was training . . . it was tiring" she said before slumping over the railing again

"Well now . . . you look like you could use some sleep" came the voice of Kakashi as he appeared behind Naruto with Sasuke a close second behind him. "We were going to do team exercises before we do a mission but I think Sakura will need a nap . . . especially if she has been training with . . . him" Images of a green clad man exclaiming 'Youth!' ran through Kakashi's head before he returned his attention to his now green clad student. Sakura was already asleep however so she heard none of this.

"Why is Sakura wearing . . . that?" Sasuke asked, gesturing to the girl's choice of attire

"It's a training outfit that Gai, another jounin sensei, likes to wear . . . he also recommends it to all his students but so far, all bar two have had the good sense to refuse" Kakashi replied "In any case . . . Naruto, grab Sakura, let's go to our training ground"

A few minutes later, they were at their training ground with Sakura peacefully napping under a tree.

"So what's the plan? We can't do team training without Sakura here . . ." Naruto said, looking at Sakura's sleeping form "And is it just me or does that outfit hug her in juuuust the right places?" he added with a grin. Kakashi sent a glare to Naruto who put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Due to . . . circumstances . . . team training will be taking precedence over missions and after team training I will be taking Sasuke on for private tutoring" Kakashi said as he gave a look over in Sakura's direction, hoping nobody else noticed the regret he was feeling.

"Council screwing everything up again eh?" Naruto asked with a grin, eliciting a look from both Kakashi and Sasuke.

"What would the council care about one team dobe?" Sasuke asked, lacing his question with sarcasm.

"You, and the daughter of one of the civilian council happens to be over there napping, but mostly you" Naruto replied with a serious expression. Sasuke just clicked his tongue in response.

"So that's how it's going to work . . . this isn't because Sasuke is favoured though . . . it's just that Sasuke has nobody else to train him, both you and Sakura do" Kakashi said, speaking to Naruto. "For today however . . . we are just going to do a mission, I'll wake Sakura up when it's time but you two can spar for a while, I'm sure Naruto is more than capable of stomping you into the ground Sasuke" Kakashi said, casually egging the egotistical Uchiha on.

"Unlikely" Sasuke replied with a glower aimed at Naruto who grinned as he stepped into his Taijutsu style.

"He was taught by one of the two best Taijutsu fighters in all of Konoha . . . I think he has an edge" Kakashi replied from over the top of his orange book that had appeared in his hand. Kakashi turned at that and walked over to where Sakura was napping and leant against the tree that was providing her shade. "Have fun, stick to Taijutsu, don't kill Sasuke" Kakashi called out

* * *

Ino was wondering the streets, heading to nowhere in particular, as the sun lazily descended in the sky. She didn't want to go home yet, the memories she had recently acquired were still fresh on her mind and she didn't want her parents to notice. Suddenly, Ino picked a shock of bright pink hair out of the crowd and followed it.

"Sakuraaaaa~~" Ino sang out to the pink haired girl as she caught up. The girl in question stopped and labouriously turned to face Ino, her current standing posture was hunched almost halfway over. It was at this point that Ino noticed exactly what Sakura was wearing.

"Oh hi Ino, how are you?" Sakura asked, straightening up so that she wasn't slouching so much. Sakura looked weary to Ino but the outfit was of more immediate concern.

"Sakura? What are you wearing?" Ino chuckled, the green bodysuit looked completely ridiculous on Sakura.

"Hmm? What do you mean? I'm wearing my red dress as always" Sakura asked, confusion written across her face. Ino looked at Sakura with disbelief before holding up one finger and pointing down to Sakura's chest. Sakura followed Ino's finger down and took a look at what she was wearing. Ino waited for several seconds before it finally clicked in Sakura's tired mind with an almost audible click. "AAAAAAAAH I forgot to change!" Sakura practically screamed "Th-th-that means my dress has been sitting in a random clearing since five this morning!" Sakura said as she looked back and forth before rocketing off in a random direction.

"And suddenly she gets all the energy back" Ino said to herself before taking off after her best friend. Ino remembered at this point that they were supposed to be rivals for Sasuke's heart but somehow that seemed so childish compared with just last week at team assignments where she watched as Sasuke basically insulted a clan for having been destroyed.

After several minutes of running, Ino finally managed to catch up to Sakura who had put on quite the burst of speed despite being apparently dead on her feet.

"Damn Sakura, when did you get so fast? I almost couldn't catch you" Ino said as she took a moment to get her breath back.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere!" Sakura replied as she frantically searched around the clearing.

"Exactly what were you doing to forget you left your clothes in a place like this?" Ino asked incredulously

"Huh? I was training" Sakura replied as she continued searching.

"Training? At five in the morning? Why were you training that early for? Ino asked with even more incredulous than before

"Hmm? Oh no I started at four thirty and because I had team training today and a mission . . . I wanted to fit in some training time but the teacher I wanted to train with only had his morning routine free and that's what time they start so . . . yeah" Sakura explained as she straightened up with an annoyed express "my clothes aren't here" she said before turning her attention back to Ino "Aren't we supposed to be rivals or something?" Ino sighed

"We were supposed to be rivals in love . . . kinda hard to do when we aren't going for the same guy anymore" Ino said as she leant on a nearby tree, her arms folded.

"You don't like Sasuke any more?" Sakura asked, tilting her head

"No . . . I was already on the fence until team selection . . . you don't insult clans in front of people from clans . . . not like that and especially not when your own clan was destroyed by a single person" Ino said as she closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"True . . . for me, I just took a look at what it was that I liked about him . . . and I mean he IS pretty . . . but not much else . . . my bodysuit has more personality than he does" Sakura said as she leant against an adjacent side of the same tree that Ino was leaning on. Ino for her part, looked up and inspected the outfit before chuckling lightly.

"You know, I think you are right, green is still a colour therefore your bodysuit has more colour than Sasuke does" Ino said and both girls giggled.

"Friends?" Sakura said suddenly, sticking her hand out to Ino. Ino's face dropped into a warm smile.

"Friends" she said, taking Sakura's hand before yanking and hauling the pink haired girl into a hug that Sakura returned after only a moment of surprise

* * *

Sakura walked into a weapons shop, walls covered in implements of death.

"Welcome! Can I help you with something young miss?" the kindly man behind the counter asked

"Umm . . . I was thinking that I needed a weapon . . . my chakra is really small so I can't be a Ninjutsu fighter and Genjutsu doesn't have the same combat potential to make up for it so . . ." Sakura explained as she walked up to the counter

"Ahh I see, you want a main weapon to use so you can still fight even if you are specialising in Genjutsu" The man said as he walked around the counter and began looking at the racks of weapons. Sakura nodded at his statement as she followed him.

"I may not specialise in Genjutsu but without the chakra reserves . . . Ninjutsu is going to be of limited use for me" she said. The man nodded but it was clear his attention was elsewhere as he pulled a short spear from a rack and handed it to Sakura. The girl in question looked down at the weapon and back up to the man who was giving her an analytical look.

"A spear is good at keeping the enemy at distance . . . but it doesn't look right for you . . . spears are more of a defensive weapon and you look like you need an offensive weapon" he said, his hand on his chin in thought. The man took the spear from Sakura and began searching around his racks until he pulled a katana from a rack and handed it to Sakura unsheathed. "Give that a few swings like this" he said as he mimed some downward diagonal strokes. Sakura did this and the man watched intently. Sakura wasn't sure if she thought the intensity of his stare was creepy or not but she certainly felt something.

"Is that any good?" she asked the man "What was your name anyway?"

"Ahh, sorry, I get carried away sometimes, I'm Higurashi, I own this weapon shop and no . . . that wasn't the right one for you . . . maybe a slightly different . . ." Higurashi said, trailing off as he turned back to the rack he had stationed himself at and inspecting the weapons, occasionally throwing a glance at Sakura. "Give the weapon another couple of swings" he ordered and watched her intently as she did.

"I thought this weapon wasn't any good for me?" Sakura asked while she swung the katana but Higurashi stayed silent. Higurashi pulled out another sword that was longer than the katana Sakura had in her hands and also more curved.

"This is a tachi . . . not used all that often any more, too curved, too long, too expensive, too hard to find that sorta stuff" he said as he handed it to Sakura "Give it a few swings" Sakura did and again Higurashi studied her form.

"Any good?" Sakura asked, turning back to the man who was still looking at her with his hand on his chin. "What are you looking at anyway?" she asked.

"That bodysuit of yours makes it a lot easier to tell exactly what kind of sword you need . . . the suit moves with you rather than you move it like what happens with most clothing" Higurashi said

"I'm not sure I understand" Sakura replied, cocking her head to one side

"Ever wonder why samurai wear flowing clothing? It's so that they don't need to worry about their clothes getting in the way, it's the same reason why shinobi wear clothing that allows free range of movement or as close to as they can get but in any case, by watching what your body does, I can see what type of weapon you need" Higurashi explained before taking the tachi from Sakura and walking over to a rack with smaller swords on it. He looked at the rack intently for what seemed a long time before pulling off a ninja-to and handing it to Sakura who gave it a few swings.

"Is this any good? I'm supposed to use two hands right?" Sakura asked as she tried using one hand instead and then tried stabbing with the weapon and an overhead swing "Why is this such a hard process? Can't I just grab a sword off the rack and learn to use it?" she asked

"A weapon must be an extension of your limb, a part of you . . . swords doubly so. Any wasted movement is wasted energy and potential for your enemy to counter, if you can feel with your sword, you will waste no movement" Higurashi said absently as he stood there thinking. "I might have something for you . . . I'll be back in a second" he said before ducking out back of the shop to find what it was he was looking for.

A few moments later, Higurashi walked back into the store front carrying a sheathed blade. The handle was nothing like the weapons Higurashi had in his store and that immediately grabbed Sakura's attention.

"Some guy gave this to me along with a manual on how to use it . . . when I say 'gave' I mean sold it cheaply . . . I'm not even sure how this is made to tell the honest truth because it's certainly not folded steel" Higurashi said as he looked at the sheathed blade. At the base of the grip was a semi-sphere made of metal that looked like it was screwed on. The grip looked like it was leather wrapped and could be used with two hands, a metal band separated one section from the other. The guard was a standard guard used on katanas and other such swords.

"It doesn't look anything like the other weapons here" Sakura said, almost feeling like the sword was calling to her. Higurashi took one look at Sakura and grinned before unsheathing the blade and watching as Sakura's eyes widen slightly.

"It's nothing like the weapons here . . . it was as if, some foreigner took a look at the swords of his land and the swords of ours and said he wanted one of our swords done in their style" Higurashi said as he too looked at the blade. Sakura immediately noticed that the blade was wider than that of the standard katana even though it was curved like one. The blade was maybe two inches wide at it's base, curved like a katana and ended in a point like a katana. "One of the biggest changes to this weapon that I've seen . . . the weapon is double edged"

"What does that mean?" Sakura asked, unable to take her eyes off the sword

"It means that both sides of the sword are sharp . . . funny enough, the curve actually means that the sword can be used slightly differently depending on the side you use it on. The 'front' of the blade, the side we'd normally sharpen, can be used against unarmoured enemies and what not, quick slashes and cuts. The back side however, can be used to chop and dismember and it looks like whoever sharpened this weapon had that in mind" Higurashi explained as he handed the weapon to the pink haired girl who took it reverently.

"It's heavy" she said absentmindedly before raising it to her shoulder and noticing that she could barely get any real force into it if she swung it. Sakura tried something differently . . . she placed the sword on her shoulder, both hands on the grip and stood side on. Next Sakura, instead of just using her arms to swing, stepped forward and swept her entire body in a downward arc, causing the sword to fly through the air until it embedded into the wooden floor with a dull thump. "Erm . . . whoops" Sakura said with her eyes wide.

"Well . . . that was something . . . I needed a new floor anyway, I have no idea what price this sword is meant to be sold at so . . . I'll give you a discount" Higurashi said, knowing full well that the girl was leaving here with that sword. "And the training manuals" he added

"Training manuals? What are those? Do you mean training scrolls?" Sakura asked as she put the sword on the counter.

"No, it seems that the foreigners use books instead of scrolls for training, this one is quite thick and has a lot of instructions in it . . . seems like they really know their stuff when it comes to training new people with a sword . . . although one technique seems a bit silly and involves you unscrewing the pommel . . . that round thing on the bottom of the hilt" Higurashi said before pulling out a large, heavy book and dropping it onto the table with a resounding thud. "So will that be all?" he asked with a grin.

* * *

 **well . . . here we are at the end of another chapter. firstly, I'd like to clarify to those who read these A/Ns i like to watch vids on people blacksmithing things . . . and i like to watch vids on weapons and what not . . . there is some jargon in there that i've used but you can correctly say that it's mostly technobabble, it's correct jargon but is it used right? i have no idea. also, the sword i introduced at the end there . . . i saw it in a vid from skallagrim a little while ago and it was a sort of longsword/katana hybrid . . . it looked awesome.**

 **in any case, tell me what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of. take care**


	12. Chapter 12

**Greetings everyone! I have decided to force this chapter out before going to bed so it is currently 03:10 as I write this . . . I was gonna tell you all a whole bunch of stuff that I had planned out and everything but now that my fingers are on the keyboard . . . I've clean forgotten . . . oh well, my fault for not writing it down . . . err . . . before I needed to write it down . . . I'm not making sense.**

 **In any case, hope you enjoy, see you at the bottom!**

* * *

 **Part 10**

"Where have you been!?" came the shrill voice of a woman almost as soon as Sakura had entered the living room of her house. The woman was Haruno Taiko, Sakura's mother and the one for whom Sakura had gotten her pink hair it seems.

"I was training . . . then we had a mission and then I squeezed a little more training in" Sakura replied, trying her utmost best to keep her face blank as the image of her dead mother superimposed itself over her real mother in front of her.

"You didn't come home last night! We got worried and then you didn't come home until after sundown and. . . is that alcohol I smell?!" Taiko was almost shouting by now.

"I did come home last night mum . . . you were asleep and I left again early . . ." Sakura replied, she had been hoping that her parents would be asleep again when she got home, it was most of the reason she came home at just shy of midnight.

"What is that on your back? What are you wearing?! Where are your clothes!?" Taiko asked, her voice rising with each question until she was shouting in her shrill voice. Sakura winced in response, turning away from the woman in front of her, unable to look at her mother any longer.

"It's a sword . . . I got it for cheap and the outfit . . . it's my training outfit . . . I just forgot to change out of it is all, my clothes are where I left them" Sakura said, hoping her mother wouldn't notice the lie and question her further. "I'm a ninja now mother . . . there will be times I won't come home for days . . . weeks . . . or ever" Sakura was practically whispering by this point.

"Why are you wearing that silly headband on your forehead? You looked much better with it holding your hair up" Taiko said, her face softening. The woman was trying to reconnect with her daughter through fashion and appearance, Sakura knew this but still.

"Because that's how you are suppose to wear it . . . to properly show your loyalty to your village . . . to identify that you are a shinobi of Konoha to symbolise that you are a ninja . . . proud and true" Sakura said before turning to head upstairs and her bed, she wanted to be up in four hours for her training with Gai.

"You are not a ninja!" Taiko said sternly "You are my daughter! I had hopped you would just give up . . . that this was just a fad you'd grow out of as soon as you realised how hard it was and then we could use the fact that you had ninja training as a selling point! You are not a ninja Sakura! You never were! They've done something to you haven't they? Some ninja trick to corrupt your mind! Make you think things that aren't real! See things you shouldn't see!" Taiko ranted and Sakura paused midstep. Her mother had no idea who close to the truth she was even though Sakura was sure that her mother thought she was right, Sakura knew that her mother thought it something else than the Genjutsu Sakura had been subjected to.

"No mother . . . I grew up" Sakura said before leaving the woman alone in the living room.

* * *

"So, how's life?" Asked the sandy haired woman that Sakura had met on the day of the team selections.

"Good" Sakura replied softly, she was in a clearing with her sword out and the manual sitting nearby for her to look at and practice stances and moves.

"A curved longsword huh? Interesting style . . . normally these swords are straight" The woman said as she looked at Sakura's sword.

"You know where the sword is from?" Sakura asked, lowering her guard which had consisted of her holding her sword up above her head.

"Nope, but I've swords like it and they come from a place . . . far from here . . . it's been many years since I've seen one though . . . that guard doesn't suit you" the woman said before walking up to Sakura, walking around her and looking at her with a critical eye, her hand on her chin. Again, Sakura couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation run down the back of her head and settle in her chest while the woman examined her, Sakura wasn't sure she disliked the sensation. "Hmmmm where are you learning from?" the woman asked and Sakura directed her attention to the open book beside her.

"I've been practicing the stance written in that, hoping I will eventually be able to find something that feels natural to me . . . right now this stance feels clunky and slow" Sakura said as she rested the sword against her chest.

"Rest the sword on your shoulder so that the inside curve faces outward and hold the sword so that you hit the target with the curve" The woman stated "By the way . . . my name is Minori" she added and Sakura had to admit it was nice to have a name to go with the face. Complying, Sakura did as Minori asked and noticed it was much easier to hold this stance but she wasn't sure she could guard like this.

"This feels easier to hold but I don't feel like I can easily defend like this" Sakura stated as she looked at Minori, waiting for the next instruction.

"Sweep your left leg forward, put all your weight on that foot as you bring your right foot forward and, as you do this, draw your left arm back, it's best to slide your hand down to the pommel, and push your right arm forward" Minori commanded as she watched Sakura. Shrugging Sakura compiled and performed the maneuver, noticing immediately that the strike was close range and somewhat quick.

"Wow . . . but . . ." Sakura began and Minori nodded before putting her hand on her chin and walking around Sakura again.

"I'll come by again some other time and help you with stances and forging yourself a fighting style with that sword . . . it would be soooo much easier if it were just a regular longsword but no . . . someone had to make a hybrid, oh well" Minori said, moving back in front of Sakura. "I originally came here to give you something . . . so that you have something other than alcohol to work as a hobby . . . boozing yourself up so often isn't the best idea you have ever had to be honest, so I shall give you another way to escape!" With this, Minori pulled out a dark green covered book about as big as her hand and looking like it was a few hundred pages long.

"Wha . . . what is that?" Sakura asked, taking the book cautiously.

"This . . . is a way to escape without needing to pass out on the bar stool . . . it's somewhat saucy so . . . enjoy" Minori said before disappearing just as suddenly as she had appeared.

"Ahh team seven" Said the Hokage as he greeted the team in the missions office "This will be your eleventh mission wouldn't it?" he asked, giving the team a kind smile. Naruto noticed the slight stiffening of Kakashi's visage even as it dropped again a mere moment after occurring.

"Yes it would appear so, Hokage-sama" Kakashi said in reply to the old man.

* * *

"Hmmm . . . I think you three are ready for a C-rank mission, what do you think" said Sarutobi as he went looking through his list of C-rank missions still available. Naruto grinned happily, Sasuke smirked triumphantly and Sakura frowned worriedly at the news that they would be getting a C-rank mission. "Let's see here . . . ahh, I need you three to deliver a scroll to Suna, it's a standard trade so you will receive a scroll in return, I'll leave the mission details with Kakashi to deal with" said Sarutobi as he handed the mission scroll that contained where to collect the scroll they needed to deliver from.

"A nice easy mission to get our feet wet eh? I could use a little adventure" Naruto said as he and team seven left the mission office.

"Well . . . there is something odd with this mission though . . . it's not normally a C-rank" Kakashi stated, following along behind the team. "I'm sure that other things have happened to reduce its grade . . . it's pretty common for these routine missions to change rankings" he said and Naruto noticed that Kakashi still had a slightly stiff posture and that he hadn't pulled his book out yet.

"This is certainly going to be interesting . . . anyone been to Suna before?" Naruto asked and both of his teammates shook their heads. "Deserts are annoying to survive in though . . . that's gonna be a problem" Sasuke and Sakura looked at their blond teammate.

"Have you been to the desert before dobe?" Asked Sasuke

"Sorta, I've done desert survival training with Nee-chan" Naruto replied "By the way, Sakura, why are you still wearing that outfit?" Naruto asked in reference to the fact that Sakura was still wearing the green bodysuit she had gotten from Gai.

"Umm . . . well, it's comfortable, breathable, retains moisture and offers full range of movement all in one sweet package" Sakura replied, staring straight ahead as she recanted what Gai had told her, adding in the comfortable part because that was a selling point in her opinion. "I'm waiting on an order I've made in a different colour but unfortunately, it's not that easy to get this outfit in the colours I want so it's gonna be a few more months . . . also . . . perhaps the biggest selling point and why I'm surprised this thing isn't more popular" Sakura began, garnering the attention of her teammates "it's practically indestructible!" she said enthusiastically "I tested it myself, I threw it over a training dummy and threw kunai and shuriken at it for an hour . . . not a single puncture" Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other before looking back at Sakura.

"Well . . . at least she isn't going on about youth" Kakashi muttered under her breath.

"Hey! I may not subscribe to that style of cover identity . . . although I don't think Lee understands it's supposed to be a cover identity . . . but it's impolite to tell a woman she doesn't look youthful! That's calling me old and ugly!" Sakura said indignantly

"Wait . . . cover identity? What?" Naruto asked

"Hmm? Oh yeah, it's clearly a cover identity like your grinning idiot persona back at the academy" Sakura replied and even Sasuke understood then.

"Well, in any case . . . start packing, the trip to Suna should only a couple of days to Suna . . . I could get there today but you guys are still genin so pack for a week's worth of travel" Kakashi ordered "meet you at the gates at o' seven sharp" kakashi said before disappearing in a puff of white smoke.

"I don't know about you guys but I definitely could use some Teriyaki before we go on a long mission to Suna" Naruto said with a brief sigh.

"Oi Naruto, you've done desert training before . . . what do we need?" Asked Sakura, one hand on her hip.

"Ah right, you need cold weather gear . . . like cloaks and smokeless heaters . . . the shinobi supply has heating tags, we need those and we are gonna need water, pick up some extra water skins and salt tablets . . . or salted foods, something to replenish lost salt" naruto counted off.

"Oi dobe . . . what do we need cold weather gear for? Are you sure you aren't still an idiot? We are going to the desert" Sasuke said arrogantly, like he was gloating over this piece of knowledge. Naruto for his part merely sighed at Sasuke's response.

"I thought so too until I spent a night in the desert . . . trust me, the ONLY source of heat in the desert is the sun, out of that sunshine and it gets cold, really cold, like below zero cold. Deserts are deserts because they have no rainfall . . . or liquid water . . . the largest desert I can think of is in the land of snow and it's made of Ice . . . it doesn't rain there so desert" Naruto explained to Sasuke whose eye was twitching at being labeled as wrong.

"Fine . . . I'll pack a cloak" Sasuke relented before walking away, his hands in his pockets.

"So wanna get dinner?" Naruto asked Sakura with a grin

"Depends . . . does that shop you always go to serve alcohol?" Sakura asked

"Yeah . . . it mainly serves ninja so they serve alcohol . . . why do YOU drink?" Naruto replied as he cast a wary glance in Sakura's direction.

"I . . . just do" Sakura replied cryptically, her head down.

"Right . . . do you know The Rule?" Naruto asked, his own mood a little down.

"No . . . what rule are you talking about?" She asked back

"Long story short, invoke the rule and people stop asking . . . acknowledge but don't talk about it, change the subject, make it funny, make it nice but whatever you do . . . don't talk about it" Naruto explained as he started walking down the street, Sakura following.

* * *

"What's with the sword?" Sasuke asked Sakura almost word for word what he asked Naruto when he revealed one such item at team selection.

"I felt I needed a weapon other than standard tools and even ANBU use swords so . . ." Sakura replied. Sakura was wearing her sword on her back in a special harness that let her draw her sword over her shoulder and attack in the same movement. Sasuke's only reply was a grunt but Sakura noticed that he was still eyeing up her weapon.

"Hey guys . . . erm, where are your standard issue field kits?" Naruto asked as he joined in at the gate they were to meet at.

"Standard issue field kits?" Sakura asked, looking back at the blond shinobi. Naruto for his part, patted a belt that he was wearing and immediately, Sakura saw the seals.

"Konoha standard issue field kits, contain rations up to two weeks as well as some other supplies such as medical supplies and emergency contingency attire . . . try saying that ten times fast" Naruto replied, resting a hand on his sword as his older sister was want to do. "Before you ask, that consists of hot weather gear, cold weather gear and wet weather gear just in case you need them" he continued, cutting Sakura off from asking the question he just answered.

"So how long until sensei gets here?" Asked Sasuke, looking around to see if he can spot the errant jonin.

"Depends, what time did he tell us to meet?" Asked Naruto, a hand on his chin. Sakura noticed Naruto's thinking posture and was instantly reminded of Minori for some reason but she chose to ignore that detail for now, it would come up later.

"Fifteen minutes ago" Sakura stated, watching as the village started coming to life in the morning rays that shone down upon the village.

"Ahh, right, we have two hours and forty five minutes" Naruto stated, smacking his open hand with his closed fist.

"How did you get that? What does sensei's tardiness run on time?" Asked Sasuke, attempting sarcasm.

"Yep, he is exactly three hours late to everything . . . fairly certain he will be three hours late to his own funeral" Naruto replied as he sat down cross legged and pulled out a packet of oats. "Might as well have some breakfast since we are gonna be waiting for our illustrious sensei" he said before digging into the simple meal. "Man plain oats are bland" he said before continuing to eat.

"Oiiiii! Naruto-kun!" came the overly enthusiastic voice of Yuriko who came lightly jogging down the street with her three samurai retainers not for behind her.

"Uhh, who is that?" Sakura asked, indicating towards the pig-tailed girl.

"Yuriko . . . she's technically freeloading in my house but Nee-chan's guests are my guests" Naruto said with a heavy sigh "And she apparently has the hots for me" Sasuke scoffed at this piece of information

"Better you than me" he said simply before getting a sharp look from Sakura. "Don't look at me like that! You and Ino were following me around everywhere! I even caught one of those fangirls going through my trash!" Sasuke said vehemently.

"Oooh who's this? Is she your girlfriend?" Yuriko asked, giving Sakura a long hard examination, even walking around her several times to take in every detail. "You could do better than someone wearing . . . that" she said, pointing to the bodysuit that Sakura was wearing.

"Sakura isn't my girlfriend . . . and even if she was, I wouldn't want her to die so much that I'd risk saying that in public" Naruto replied and Sakura was immediately reminded of the night before when she had run into Hinata and had been given a cold glare for so much as daring to go out with Naruto. Thankfully, as soon as Naruto said that she had invoked The Rule Hinata had calmed down immediately and apologised for being inconsiderate.

"What? You have multiple girls falling over you or something?" Sasuke asked and was met with the deadpan stares of Sakura, Yuriko and Naruto. "Right . . . Hinata" he said with a sigh.

"Why are you standing here though? Isn't this the gate out of Konoha?" Yuriko asked as she cast a glance in the direction of the gate in question.

"Yup, going on a mission, probably be gone for two months I'd say . . . heading to the land of Tea, gotta find a crime ring . . . organised banditry is no joke" Naruto said in a perfectly serious tone of voice that almost had Sakura convinced despite only getting the briefing yesterday.

"We are going to Suna on a routine delivery mission" Sakura corrected for her blond teammate and instantly noticed the look that the boy gave her. It was a look to say she really shouldn't have done that.

"Suna huh? I hear it's hot there . . . and that the dust and sand is bad for your skin . . . dries it out and cracks it" Yuriko said quietly. Sakura and Sasuke noticed the look that Naruto gave the girl over his shoulder but chose not to say anything. "Well, I have errands to run! See you when you get back in four days Naruto-kun!" the girl chirped before heading off. One last suspicious look from one of the Samurai was given before the four left sight.

"So . . . why the suspicion?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the direction the girl had left in.

"She's not from Konoha . . . Land of Rice Paddies . . . word on the street is something is going down over there and it isn't in our favour, already had price rises in rice despite the harvest being good" Naruto said and suddenly the other two knew why Naruto was cautious about what he told the girl.

"So what were you gonna say when you came back ahead of time?" Sakura asked, turning to look at her teammate

"Chunin from Suna had also gotten the mission but from a different source and they had already been on the case . . . we got there just in time to mop up and report success" Naruto said without hesitation

"You don't trust your sister's guests?" Sasuke asked, turning to look at the blond as well, his hand on his hip.

"I'm a ninja . . . it's important to always treat the unknown with suspicion and that girl is an unknown" Naruto replied and the three shared looks, they'd keep an eye on her if she appeared again.

* * *

"Kaka-sensei" Came the voice of Sakura as she trudged alongside their ever aloof teacher.

"What is it Sakura?" Kakashi asked, his nose firmly implanted in the orange book he was continuously re-reading.

"Have you ever read 'Tales of Silk'?" Sakura asked, remembering the copy she had in her room.

"I have all twelve in the series and a pre-order for the next edition" Kakashi said nonchalantly "And yes, I have read them all" he added

"Why do you continue to read . . . that?" Sakura asked, looking at the orange book with distaste "It's pure smut! No fantasy, no story!" Sakura said, her voice raising a little.

"Well maybe I just like that kind of story eh?" Kakashi said, the smirk was evident in his voice before he dropped his voice until only Sakura could hear him. "Everyone knows this book is just pure smut . . . it was Jiraiya's first in the series and not his best . . . it works for me" he said, directing his attention over to his female student who nodded.

"I thought as much" she said quietly and that was the end of that conversation.

"What do you think of the desert Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, having fallen back to Kakashi's position.

"It's too hot and too cold . . . the land of fire is juuuuust right" Kakashi replied shrugging slightly. "They weren't always our ally though . . . we did fight against them in the second shinobi war"

"Why did we ally with them then? I mean we still hate Iwa's guts even thirteen years after the war ended" Naruto asked. Kakashi looked up from his book and directed his gaze to a random horizon

"Don't know . . . didn't care about politics back then but I do know that technically it was Suna who started the third war . . . not that they were to blame, just that they started it" Kakashi replied as he looked at each of his three students, even Sasuke seemed to be interested.

"What happened? Did they invade someone allied to Iwa?" Sakura asked in her light 'I'm acquiring information about something' voice that she had used whenever she had asked teachers questions.

"No not quite" Kakashi said before sighing "This really should have been covered in the Academy" he said almost to himself "Like Genjutsu" he added and noticed the slight stiffening of Sakura before her posture relaxed again. "Suna's sandaime Kazekage disappeared one night and even to this day we don't know what happened . . . Suna loved their Kazekage and went on a mad and desperate search to find him . . ." Kakashi said, looking around at the varying degrees of rapt attention "In their desperate search, Suna teams went into the neighbouring countries and kept clashing with any shinobi they met . . . at some point Iwa decided enough was enough and declared war and then after that, it was just a matter of alliances dragging nations in one by one until the entirety of the elemental nations were in the war" Kakashi looked around at his genin again and noticed that they had all soaked that in like it was new information.

"The academy told us that Iwa declared war on our ally Suna and then started burning down minor villages as well . . . this drew us in as we were allied to several of the villages that Iwa tried to burn down" Naruto said with a thoughtful expression. "I understand the propaganda if it was closer to the time of the war . . . but we should have been in the 'bygones be bygones' phase by then and details of the war shouldn't have been omitted . . . still, one of the teachers was a traitor so maybe more thought similarly?" Naruto took his hand off his chin and put it on his sword instead. Naruto noticed the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stand up and she stopped and looked behind her, this drew the attention of the other two even though Naruto was sure Kakashi already knew.

"How long until we reach Suna?" Asked Sasuke as he too eyed the direction Sakura had looked in.

"Midday tomorrow is my guess" kakashi replied before trudging on again.

" _Someone is watching us"_ Naruto thought as he followed his sensei and memories of the conversation with Yuriko that morning ran through his head as well as the memory of her abrupt departure as soon as he mentioned where he was going _"How did she know he was going to be four days!"_ Naruto thought as he was suddenly reminded of her comment

"Something wrong Naruto?" kakashi asked, not even turning back.

"Sensei . . . exactly how routine is this mission?" Naruto asked and Kakashi's own words about how this mission isn't normally a C-rank came back.

"That's an interesting question Naruto" Kakashi said but then stayed quiet. Naruto had his answer.

* * *

 **Well, here we are at the conclusion of another chapter . . . I'm not certain I like this chapter but yeah . . . also . . . slight cliff hanger . . . lots of foreshadow . . . gee I wonder what's gonna happen next kudos if you guessed it.**

 **speaking of kudos for guess work, this brings me to a point I wanted to make a chapter or two ago . . . when we got the first clue. I like a little subtlety and I have been putting in clues for people to look at and collect, if I have done this right, you could possibly guess major plot points even now but I have been leaving clues to the major plot points (some of them anyway).**

 **So, assuming I have done this right, pay attention to the story and see if you can figure out what's going to happen before it does . . . please note that if it's not expressly stated anywhere, it's still in the air.**

 **things that have been stated as facts so far;**

 *** Minori has been noted as being more powerful than a squad of ANBU**

 *** Minori is a potential candidate for Hokage, suggesting she is on the level of a Kage in terms of power.**

 ***Kakashi and Minori are in some form of relationship (seemingly friends with benefits)**

 ***Naruto is not actually in a relationship with Hinata**

 **these are four things I just thought would be wise to bring to everyone's attention since I have gotten a fair few reviews stating things from empirical evidence (what people have observed) and thus lost a few readers because of that.**

 **as for Minori being too powerful . . . so was Minato when he was her age and more importantly . . . so is Obito who is currently a similar age if not the same age as Minori.**

 **thank you for reading to this point in this extremely lengthy authors note.**

 **please tell me what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of. take care**


	13. Chapter 13

**Greetings everyone! and here we come to another chapter of Yadokawa Naruto . . . actually I'm starting to wish that Sakura was the main character . . . so far she is far more interesting than Naruto . . . fun fact, did you know that I actually hate canon Naruto? he is annoying as all hell and really that's his only personality trait . . . that and he can take a beating but still! my naruto is a bit less annoying but still . . . I love Sakura and everything I can do with her but unfortunately I made this story about Naruto instead . . . damn I'm wishing I'd done this differently now.**

 **in any case, hope you enjoy, see you at the bottom!**

* * *

 **Part 11**

Shikamaru casually walked down a street, the setting sun at his back on his way home from a team session. Lately Ino had gotten more into training on her own, leaving Shikamaru and Choji to lounge by themselves more often than not. Shikamaru noticed a woman heading down the street in the opposite way, she was looking straight at him with a faint smirk. The woman had sandy blond hair and wore a light grey kimono, a sword strapped to her back with the handle sticking out on her left side. The woman stopped walked, moved over to a nearby wall and leant on it, crossing her arms. With a sigh, Shikamaru took the clear invitation and, without removing his hands from his pockets, leant against the same wall.

"So you are Shikaku's brat huh?" the woman asked, although it was clear she already knew the answer.

"Yeah . . . and you are?" Shikamaru asked in reply, his head bowed but his eyes on the woman beside him. The woman put her hand on her chin as if thinking about the boy's question.

"Figure it out" She replied finally, smirking at the heavy sigh Shikamaru gave. "My apprentice" She added. Shikamaru's eyes snapped wide and his head snapped up as he watched the woman leave.

Continuing home with more purpose in his step meant Shikamaru got home faster but this didn't matter to him at the present moment. What did matter was the question he needed to ask his father who had seemed to notice his less casual attitude.

"You look troubled" Shikaku stated, the question hidden in the context.

"I met a woman . . . sandy haired, grey kimono . . . it's troublesome to ask but do you know her? She didn't wear a hitai-ate" Shikamaru said, taking his usual slouch though his eyes never left his father who was sitting at the dining room table. Shikaku sighed heavily before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a copy of the bingo book and handing it to Shikamaru. Shikamaru looked at the book, then his father before finally opening the book and looking for the picture of the woman. "This . . . can't be right" Shikamaru said when he finally found the page in question.

"That woman . . . they call her 'Konoha's Big Sister' and say that nobody ever learns her name without her knowing about it" Shikaku said calmly. "If you find anything, let me know" Shikaku continued. Shikamaru looked at his father before heading out again with the bingo book still in his hand.

"That's the most determined I've ever seen him" Came the voice of Yoshino. "Who exactly is this woman? And why the sudden interest in her?"

"It's troublesome . . . but If the kid can pull this off . . ." Shikaku said, letting the suggestion of Shikamaru's future hang there between them.

* * *

"Three disturbances to our left, four to the right" Naruto said, the lines down his face and his black eyes indicating he was using his new bloodline. "Damn it Sasuke! Stop moving so much, it's hard to focus as is" he growled out as Sasuke shifted position to try and see what Naruto was seeing.

"Are they enemies?" the Uchiha asked

"I don't know, best I can tell you is that most of them are man sized with a few that are a little smaller" Naruto said.

"Right, Meji Formation! We're about to be surrounded" Kakashi stated as he pulled out a kunai. In response to his comment, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura formed up in a triangle at Kakashi's back, their own kunai in their hands. As soon as they did this, their enemies appeared, all seven of them, in a pincer formation around Team Seven.

"You have something we want Konoha trash!" one of the new contacts said. He, like his cohorts, was wearing a shemagh so that nothing but their eyes were left exposed under the white fabric of their headwear. Covering their bodies were tunics tucked into their trousers and both garments were the same colour as the sands that team seven was currently standing on.

"I'm afraid not" Kakashi replied casually as he studied the forces arrayed against him and his team while considering the use of his Sharingan.

"That supposed to be funny? Give us the scroll and maybe we'll let the girl go . . . after we've had our fun of course" said one of the other men and, as one, all seven of the attackers pulled out strange one handed curved swords.

"What's this? Two bits of trash with swords but not drawing them? Heh, bet you don't know how to and ya just wearin' em for show!" Said another of the masked attackers.

"Enough! Attack them! Leave the girl alive if you can, kill the rest, the boss wants that scroll" Said the first man who spoke and, as one, the seven bandits attacked. Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he noticed that the enemy were attacking at ninja speeds but that realisation had to wait as two of the seven enemies were suddenly upon him with their swords and he had barely any time to parry both swords.

"Break formation! Engage them at will!" Kakashi ordered and the three genin behind him split up and dashed off, taking the two enemies that had attacked each of them.

"So, one jounin to another huh? Guess it's like a good old fashion ninja battle then" Said the apparent leader of the bandits.

"So it would seem" Kakashi replied before lifting up his hitai-ate and exposing his sharingan eye. His opponent merely scoffed before attacking Kakashi at high speed, his sword meeting Kakashi's kunai in clashes that would have been faster than a civilian eye could track.

Meanwhile, Sakura looked at the two bandits in front of her and thought about the sword on her back. She had only had a couple of weeks worth of training with it and so wasn't confident of it's usefulness in a real engagement. Before she could consider it any more however, one of the bandits attacked, his sword flashing high over his head only to be met with Sakura's kunai and a fearful expression from the girl herself.

"Huh! Weak gutter trash like you deserves to bent over and ploughed like fertile soil! Day in, day out for until you dry up!" The man said, his face close to Sakura's own. Suddenly a scowl met the man and Sakura took a couple steps back before disappearing from view and reappearing with her foot in the air aimed at the guy's head.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Sakura shouted even as the man ducked but Sakura wasn't done, planting her hands on the sand and bringing her entire body around to smash her foot into the man's head despite his feeble attempts to block. The man was lifted off his feet and Sakura saw a chance, a chance that her body just reacted too and the kunai that had been in her hand went sailing towards to man in the air where it was met by a squelch, a gasp of pain and the crunch of a dead body impacting the sand.

* * *

Sasuke looked at his two challengers nonchalantly, their blades flashing in sunlight while his own absorbed the light due to it's darkened material.

"Why'd we have to get the whimp of the group, this guy looks like he'd take one light breeze and be shredded! Wish I could've gotten the girl mmmmm would've had her begging for it by the time I was done with 'er" one of the two bandits said, his grin was evident in the sound of his voice.

"You lot have no idea what you're messing with do you?" Sasuke asked in a tone that suggested he was bored with this whole affair.

"Why you!" The first man shouted before both charged at him. Sasuke merely cracked a grin before running through a series of hand signs that felt all too familiar to the Uchiha. Sasuke brought his hand up to his mouth and exhaled a breath that instantly turned into a fireball the moment it passed through his hands. The two bandits, confidant as they just were, could only stare at the ball of fire as it approached them and neither moved until it was upon them and then, their only move was to scream as their flesh burnt from their bodies while they yet lived. It was several seconds before they finally slumped to the ground as blacked corpses, completely unrecognisable from the humans they had just been.

"What?" Sasuke said as he stared wide eyed at the two smoking corpses. He had expected them to dodge, to get out of the way or something, he didn't expect them to stand there and gape at him. "Genjutsu! It has to be!" he said as he slammed his hands together and shouted "Release!" but the blackened bodies remained, still smoking in the desert sands. Sasuke's expression turned frantic as he tried to release the non-existent Genjutsu he was convinced he was in until finally he slumped to his knees and just looked at the bodies, not noticing that his eyes had one red tomoe in each eye. "What have I done?" He said quietly

* * *

Naruto gave his two combatants a smirk while he played with his kunai, flipping it again and again.

"You sure seem confidant brat, think you can take us on? You can't even see, I know a blind man when I see one and your eyes are completely black" One of the two men said and Naruto could just tell the man was smiling.

"I don't need to 'see' you to know where you are . . . I'm a ninja. Besides, need to give you guys some handicap right? You know how long the typical ninja battle goes for? Minutes . . . and that's when there are several hundred on either side" Naruto said, his smirk not vanishing. "Course, this ain't no ninja battle is it? Just a couple of bandits that can use their chakra, nothing more" Naruto stopped smirking and threw his kunai at the second man who had stayed quiet up till now. The man blocked the kunai easily but Naruto was already blowing through a quick series of hand signs before thrusting his fist forward. A blast of wind took the two bandits and part of the sand dune they were standing on and threw them backwards before letting them slam into the ground, but before they got there, Naruto was on them, his sword in hand and spinning between them. Twin trails of blood, followed his sword in the air as he lightly landed on his feet while the bandits hit the sand hard, choking on their own blood. Naruto walked away from them, intending to join up with his comrades, he could feel that Sakura had only one opponent left while Sasuke still had two. It was at this moment that Naruto felt the blast of compressed air that was generated by the superheated fireball that Sasuke had launched and a tingle ran from Naruto's head right down his spin and he shivered.

"So that's what she meant when she said explosions are the best f-feeling ever" Naruto said, a slight hitch in his voice before he shook his head clear and noticed that Sasuke's opponents were both dead and he was on his knees in front of the corpses. Naruto then decided to join Sakura who still had an opponent.

Naruto lightly landed beside Sakura who was just finished with her own opponents, the second missing his head and her blade glinting in the sunlight.

"Naruto? Finished s-so soon?" Sakura asked, a hitch in her voice.

"Yeah, you okay? You did just kill two people" Naruto asked, looking on in concern at his female teammate.

"Yeah, I'm good . . . what about you? Didn't you kill yours?" She replied, sheathing her sword and collecting her kunai from the corpse of one of the two bandits.

"I've . . . already had my first" Naruto said, closing his eyes before opening them again with a smile. "Let's go check on Sasuke . . . Kakashi is still fighting but they are moving so fast even I'm having trouble keeping up with them . . . they are barely displacing any air" Naruto said and Sakura nodded

"Lead on then, we should think on a way to help sensei if he can't beat his own opponent" Sakura said and the two leapt from their position towards Sasuke.

"Yo?" Naruto called out as he saw the Uchiha kneeling there in front of two blackened bodies, completely frozen with an expression of shocked horror.

"What have I done?" he asked quietly though Naruto was sure he didn't know they were there. Naruto sighed before walking over to the traumatized Uchiha and sat down in front of him which seemed to snap him out of his funk slightly. "Naruto? What . . . why?"

"You killed them cause you had to . . . nothing more" Naruto said as he looked at the red eyed teammate and noted the tomoe in each eye.

"Here Sasuke . . . take a drink from this" Said Sakura as she handed Sasuke a bottle that was clearly a bottle of Sake. taking it from her gently, Sasuke put it to his mouth and took a long gulp, swallowing it down and screwing his face up. Sakura took the bottle back and the two pre-teens waited patiently for Sasuke to recover. A few moments later, Sasuke had recovered, his eyes returned to their usual onyx and he no longer looked completely traumatised.

"Thank you" he said simply as he got back to his feet. "What's our situation?" he asked, looking around but avoiding the direction in which the still smoking bodies were.

"Sensei is still fighting but I can barely track it . . . only bits and pieces when they stop for an attack" Naruto said as he too stood.

"Then we go help him" Sasuke said back and started to make his way towards where he thought the fight was taking place.

"Hold it Sasuke! We need a plan!" Sakura called out causing Sasuke to stop and turn his head enough to be able to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "We are not just walking into a jounin duel without carefully considering it and having at least three different plans for getting ourselves out of there in a hurry" Sakura continued as she walked up to the Uchiha, her expression daring him to argue. Sasuke merely clicked his tongue.

"Fine but this better be good" Sasuke said and turned to face the pink haired girl who was giving him a look that told him that he would be doing what she said regardless.

"Erm guys . . . they aren't moving around anymore . . . wait . . . shit" Naruto said, swearing suddenly. "They're gone!" he clarified.

"What do you mean they are gone dobe!?" Sasuke asked.

"I mean, one minute they were displacing air just by being there . . . the next, smooth air patterns . . . nothing . . . I'm not feeling anything!" Naruto said as he scanned the horizon before sighing and deactivating his bloodline. "There's a minx about half a kilometer to our left but that's about it" he said lightly.

"Shit" Sakura swore before pulling out her bottle of Sake and taking a long pull from it "Well . . . we need to figure out where they went so let's go look at the site of the battle" she said as she corked her bottle and stashed it back in her pack.

"Who died and made you leader?" Sasuke asked, shooting a glower at the kunoichi's back. Sakura turned around and merely looked at Sasuke but the Uchiha saw that there was not a hint of emotion in the girl's eyes.

"We can't afford this kind of disunity right now Sasuke" Sakura stated calmly and Sasuke clenched his fist in response before releasing it and nodding. "Good" she said "Now if there are no further objections, let's go"

"Yes captain" Naruto and Sasuke replied at the same time

* * *

The battle site was potted with marks from where jutsu had impacted the sand, the wind already filling the holes created with new grains.

"Anyone find it odd that we were so close to this battle and none of us saw or heard a thing that was going on? I mean I caught flashes of movement when they displaced air but it was only a little" Naruto mused as he and his team looked around at the battle site

"I think that's usual for high level ninja battles" Sakura replied as she knelt to inspect a couple drops of blood on the sand.

"Yeah but . . . they weren't ninja . . . well trained bandits that could use their chakra . . . but still nowhere near ninja" Naruto replied before noticing a glint of something metallic sticking out of the sand. Naruto knelt to inspect it and discovered it was a kunai. "Konoha standard issue kunai . . . no blood stains on it" Naruto called out to his team and Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean? So what if that kunai didn't have blood on it?" Sasuke asked, clearly having not noticed the two pieces of evidence they had been presented with.

"It means that the blood on the ground by Sakura is sensei's . . . most likely" Naruto replied as he stood up and scanned the horizon. "Sun will be going down soon . . . we need to know exactly where we are going to get sensei back before we are forced to take shelter and we need a way to figure out how to get there" He said, scanning the horizon and finding what looked like a rocky outcropping in the distance.

"What happens if we don't?" Asked Sakura, standing up herself. Naruto pointed to one of the holes that was now half full.

"The desert erases all trace of there ever being a battle here" he replied and the three teammates shared looks.

"Wide band perimeter . . . they had to come out somewhere . . . Naruto what's the range on your sense?" Sakura called out.

"Hard to say, it doesn't work like that but I can sufficiently sense the entire battlefield we were just on so . . . let's start with that as a medium" Naruto replied, activating his bloodline while Sakura nodded.

"You stay here and keep track of us. Sasuke, we are going in a radius of three ninja leaps from this site, try and memorise the direction, if you get lost Naruto can sense you" Sakura said before bounding in a random direction and was out of sight. Sasuke scoffed and looked around.

"I really don't see why we are letting her take charge, I'm the Uchiha and she is just a civilian" Sasuke said

"A civilian who came up with a battle strategy that defeated Kakashi . . . you forget that she has an exact memory and thus, has memorised every strategy we have ever learnt in the academy and can piece them together at will" Naruto said calmly "Now do as ordered" he added and Sasuke glared at the blond before following Sakura's example and bounding off in a different direction.

* * *

"Anything?" Naruto asked, he had seen Sakura kneel to inspect something but he didn't know what.

"I found what looked like some tracks . . . they led in a westerly direction" Sakura said as she looked at the sun, it was getting lower in the sky and the temperature was already dropping now that the shadows covered the area they had been fighting in. "We don't have the time to follow those tracks in daylight so we are just gonna have to do this at night . . . though I'm not sure how, we have no way of telling direction other than that outcropping and the sun, even I'll get lost out here without some way to orient myself" Sakura continued as she searched around for something better to use.

"I have a compass . . . well . . . it's sorta like a compass, works the same way but it's designed to have it's point of orientation set manually rather than just automatically be pointing north" Naruto said as he pulled a circular metal device out of a seal.

"What good's that gonna do if it's not pointing north?" Sasuke asked, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"We can set it to face the direction we came from or the direction we are going" Sakura said, realisation in her eyes. "can we set it to magnetic north?" she asked.

"Yeah but personally, right now that feature isn't of much use to us" Naruto replied "We should set this spot as the compass point so we can find our way back here and then find a place to rest for the night and do this in daylight" He added.

"If only to wrap our heads around the day we've had" Sakura said quietly "Right, Naruto, set that compass to lead us back here and then we are going to that outcropping over there for shelter . . . it might be the only landmark as far as the eye can see but that just means we will see the enemy coming as well" she said and the three ninja nodded to one another before bounding off in the direction of the outcropping.

* * *

Sakura's eyes snapped open and she realised she was sweating. Her nightmare had been about the Genjutsu she had been under but was all the more intense with the addition of those two men she had killed.

"Nightmare?" Came the quiet voice of Naruto who was currently on watch. Sakura had organised them into three watches with Naruto in the middle and her at the end since Sasuke had used some chakra and needed rest while Naruto was known to be able to bounce back from anything with just a quick nap.

"Yeah" Sakura said softly as she joined Naruto. They were on top of the outcropping and positioned in such a fashion that they had full vision of the surrounding landscape while they themselves were hard to spot. It was almost like this place was put here to be a resting stop for ninja. "You know, considering how close we are to Suna . . . I think this outcropping was put here by them in case any of their shinobi got caught out after dark or needed to recover after an ambush" She said idly as she looked up at the stars.

"There is a Suna symbol in the cave below us . . . I took a look a little earlier, nothing we need down there so we shouldn't steal from our allies" Naruto replied, his bloodline active.

"How long can you keep that active for?" Sakura asked, noticing the dark lines on his face.

"It's not actually draining my chakra very fast . . . I replenish faster than I lose but the question still stands . . . I get a massive headache if I have it active for two long . . . most I can do is a couple of hours before the pain is too much to keep it on" Naruto explained "I need to train it more, reconfigure my brain to be able to handle this . . . of course I'm going to try and not rely on it . . . I don't want to lose my grip on sanity" Naruto continued.

"Lose your grip on sanity?" Sakura asked, looking at Naruto with concern.

"I can feel every movement in the air for three hundred and sixty degrees around us and above us . . . even the Hyuga would have trouble trying to deal with the copious quantity of information . . . even a slight breeze is far more information than you would expect" Naruto said as he deactivated his bloodline with a sigh before rubbing his eyes. "Plus, since I go completely blind while using it, I forget to blink occasionally" he added

"Do you think we're gonna find Sensei?" asked Sakura who had brought her knees up to her chest and was hugging them, her hair framing her head.

"I should be asking you that captain" Naruto replied "Rule one of leadership, don't let the people following you realise you got nothing" Naruto said as he looked at the girl, her pink hair almost shining in the starlight. "Rule two of leadership, don't let your followers see weakness or doubt . . . If you doubt the mission you are leading, they will too" Naruto continued and sat back, resting his bodyweight on his hands behind him.

"You really are just like Minori" Sakura said, a wistful expression on her face

"Well, she IS my sister . . . that's to be expected . . . sometimes I'm astounded how much like each other we are . . . Yadokawa rituals are certainly something aren't they" Naruto said enjoying the cold air after such a hot day.

"Go get some sleep, I'll take the watch from you now" Sakura said and Naruto grinned at her. "And thank you Naruto . . . I'll remember what you said" she added which only widened Naruto's grin.

"Remind me to give you a book when we get back to Konoha . . . it was written by some foreign general as an instruction manual for other commanders and strategists" Naruto said as he stood and moved over to where the sleeping bags were. Sakura merely nodded, not caring if he saw it or not.

* * *

"They probably traveled through the night . . . we shouldn't have stopped" Came the voice of Sasuke as the three genin bounded from dune top to dune top.

"We didn't want to catch up with them, the enemy in question is good enough to incapacitate our sensei, do you really think we can do any better?" Sakura replied "This way, we will find out where they took our sensei, mark it on the compass and make our way back to konoha to get reinforcements" she continued.

"I still think this was a foolish idea, and that is a foolish idea as well. I'm sure we can take whatever the enemy can throw at us and Kakashi is weak, he fell for the dobe's little eraser trap remember" Sasuke said and this time Sakura stopped causing the two boys to stop with her. "What?" Sasuke asked as Sakura turned to face him. He was met by the same blank, emotionless stare from the previous day only this time he felt a cold chill hit him like an anvil as the weight of her stare paralysed the Uchiha.

"We are shinobi of Konoha, we have protocol, we have structure" Sakura said as she moved closer to the Uchiha who still couldn't move. Even Naruto appeared uneasy as he watched what was going on. "This is not the playground of the academy, this is not the village training fields where the council panders to your every whim" Sakura continued, coming within mere inches of Sasuke's face. "This is the field now Sasuke, we are engaged in a military operation with hostile combatants where one mistake from you, one arrogant underestimation, one foolish dismissal, will lead to all of our deaths . . . just like those two burnt bodies" Sasuke was visibly shaking by this point and sweat ran down his face. "Mess up and we all die . . . do you understand?" she asked.

"Y-yes" Sasuke croaked out and Sakura turned her back, cutting off the chilling feeling entirely. Sasuke began enacting breathing exercises to get his churning insides under control when Sakura began speaking again.

"I shouldn't have had to do that Sasuke, You are supposed to be more intelligent than that . . . there can be no room for doubt, no room for hesitation, we must act and if we get it wrong, we will die" She said and only Naruto noticed the tear rolling down the girl's cheek. "Let's continue on, I don't want this to be a continued problem" she said before taking off and leaving Naruto and Sasuke to catch up.

"You okay Sakura?" Naruto asked quietly when he had caught up to the girl who had been blazing ahead.

"I'm fine Naruto, focus on the mission" she replied and Naruto knew that she was lying, she had been more affected by killing those two men than she let on but Naruto dropped it and just kept close behind her.

"Contacts! Three man sized!" Naruto called out, he had just activated his bloodline not long ago and had only just now felt them. In response, Sakura came to a stop with Sasuke and Naruto on either side of her. Two of the contacts appeared in front of the group immediately and the three genin drew their kunai.

"State your purpose here konoha!" called out one of the men, both were wearing Suna hitai-ate and standard Suna chunin uniforms.

"Genin team seven, we are tracking bandits that have captured one of our teammates" Sakura replied, her kunai still in her hand. Sasuke sent a questioning look at his pink haired companion but otherwise stayed in a guard position.

"Is that so . . . you must be the team bringing us our scroll . . . in that case, hand it over" The shinobi said, sticking his hand out. He either didn't believe Sakura or didn't care and that answered Sasuke's unasked question.

"I can't do that . . . what assurance do I have you are really Suna ninja . . . wouldn't be hard to kill a couple guards and steal their uniforms" Sakura replied.

"Behind us" Naruto uttered quietly and Sakura turned to face the new contact.

"What's going on here?" asked the man. It was clear he was on the older end of things as he wore the old style Suna uniform that was abandoned after the second shinobi war.

"These are the team that supposedly has the scroll we were expecting . . . they refuse to hand it over" answered the first shinobi.

"And why is that young girl? Why do you refuse to complete your mission?" the supposed leader asked Sakura.

"One of our teammates has been taken captive, we will get them back first before the trail runs cold" she replied. Sakura was well aware that there was no chance she would best a veteran shinobi who probably fought in both shinobi wars but she still lowered her center of mass in preparation for rapid movement anyway.

"Hand us over the scroll and return to konoha, we will get your teammate back" The man said, sticking his hand out as the first shinobi had done.

"We don't leave men behind" Sakura replied "It's more important that completing missions" something crossed the face of the veteran quickly before disappearing into the friendly smile he had been wearing up till that point.

"Ahh yes, because Konoha has an abundance of missions, they can afford to drop a few here and there" The old man stated in a friendly and understanding tone of voice.

"No, because we don't like losing shinobi, we'd rather save the life of a teammate than get a C-rank's worth of pay . . . what's a little bit of ryo compared to a shinobi that's already costed more than our one mission in training materials he has consumed over the course of his academy tenure?" Sakura shot back and suddenly the old shinobi's face dropped as if he hadn't thought of that.

"Your teammate has the scroll doesn't he" he stated, giving Sakura a deadpan look before letting out a sigh. "You know where they were heading? We will follow you" he said as he looked at his two teammates and back down to the girl in front of him who hadn't moved. "We are allies after all" Sakura looked back at Naruto, silently questioning if he can keep track of them. Naruto nodded his affirmation.

"Fine, we could use the help anyway, we were going to find the location before heading back to Konoha for reinforcement" Sakura replied, tucking her kunai into her pouch.

"And what would you need reinforcements for? They are just bandits aren't they?" asked the veteran.

"Yes . . . but they are apparently being lead by someone who moved at jounin level speeds and they could all use chakra to some degree . . . they might have even had some ninjutsu up their sleeves" Sakura replied and the veteran nodded.

"Lead on then" he said indicating the direction they had been traveling before. "My name is Matsumoto and these are my compatriots Hosei and Endo" Matsumoto said as he pointed at himself and his two companions.

"Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto" Sakura said purposefully leaving off clan names since they were all somewhat important.

* * *

"No nearby fuel so no fire . . . not that it would have been a good idea anyway. Hope you kids are okay with that" Said Matsumoto as the Suna and Konoha teams settled in for another night in the desert. "Also, I hope you know where you are going . . . it's easy to get lost in the desert after all"

"Don't worry about heat, we have that covered and as for knowing where to go . . . well, the tracks were going westerly . . . anything you know of that can be used in that direction as a base?" Sakura replied as Naruto pulled out a piece of paper, taped some chakra into it and set it down on the ground in the middle of the group. The seal lit up faintly and instant warmth was spread to those near it.

"There is one place . . . it was a fall back point in the second war in case Konoha managed to take Suna. we would have been able to fall back to this fully stocked base and be able to launch hit and run raids from there and since it was in the middle of the desert, it would be almost impossible for anyone other than Suna shinobi to find it" Matsumoto said "We surrendered before we needed it though and promptly forgot about it" he added, looking in the direction that the base was in.

"Is your hair really pink? Do they let you dye your hair like that?" Asked Endo, the one shinobi who had yet to say anything.

"My hair is really pink and yes they would . . . but I don't need hair dyes because my hair is actually pink" Sakura replied and got a disapproving look from Endo anyway.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Haruno Kizashi by any chance would you?" Matsumoto asked and Sakura looked at him, trying to see what was going on behind his kindly facade.

"My mother said he might have been a relative of hers . . . why?" Sakura asked cautiously.

"Met him once or twice . . . good head on his shoulder and a good leader too . . . you look like him a little . . . if you were to shorten your hair . . . and wear glasses" Matsumoto shrugged and Sakura narrowed her eyes, she filed that piece of information away for later knowing it would be important eventually. Naruto threw a ration pack to Sakura and sasuke each before pulling out one for himself.

"Why did you pack so many ration packs anyway dobe?" Sasuke asked as he hit the seal on the bottom of the pack.

"Because I knew you guys didn't know about the standard issue field kits and because I'm good at sealing, I can carry the squad's food supplies without any additional weight" Naruto replied as he ripped the cover off his packet and began eating.

"You Konoha kids sure do have a lot of new toys" Said Hosei who was eyeing their meals and the seal in the middle of the group that was providing warmth. Naruto shrugged in response.

"We have the number one seal master in the entire elemental nations . . . they've apparently been busy" Sakura said, making sure not to mention the gender of the person in question.

"I can see that . . . what's next? You make tea with a seal too?" Hosei asked and both Sasuke and Sakura looked at Naruto.

"What? It's quick and convenient!" he said in defense "Plus it's pretty easy to just put a heating seal on a tea pot and call it a day . . . water is boiled in only a few seconds . . . beats having to light the stove for tea" Naruto continued and the three Suna-nin looked at him with mouths open.

"Hmm, what I'd give to be able to just heat my tea when I need it, these tired old bones are getting too weary for that get up and go you young folk like so much" Matsumoto said with a grin.

"You sound like the Hokage . . . I'm wondering when he will figure out that he can just use shadow clones to do the paperwork he hates so much" Naruto said between mouthfuls. "Current betting pool is that Nee-chan is gonna tell him . . . my money's on him never knowing" Naruto continued.

"Nee-chan? Your sister close to the Hokage's office?" Asked Matsumoto and Sakura noticed the look on his face.

"Hmm? Oh Nee-chan otherwise known as Konoha's big sister. Anyone who talks about her calls her 'Nee-chan' because nobody knows her name even in Konoha" Naruto said and both Sakura and Sasuke got the message he had just given them. Matsumoto had a faint grimace that Sakura picked up on but schooled his features again, hoping to not clue the kids in.

"Well, we had best set up watches and get some rest" Matsumoto said and his two ninja subordinates got up, dusted themselves off and found a nice spot to sleep.

"Sasuke, Naruto, me" Sakura said quietly as she cleared away the rubbish of her meal and pulled out the sleeping bag she had used the night previous. The other two genin nodded and Sasuke got up to find a decent vantage to keep watch from with Matsumoto eyeing him up. Sakura would have gone first this time, it would have made more sense to cycle her with Sasuke now that neither of them had exerted themselves too hard but with these Suna ninja acting weird, Sakura wanted to have Sasuke up front in case anything happened. He was still their most powerful shinobi in terms of Ninjutsu at present and his jutsu were over the top and prone to waking Naruto and Sakura up quickly. "We will continue in the morning" she said and got another round of nods as she settled down to try and sleep.

* * *

 **Well, here we are . . . if you are wondering why the ending feels a little rush, it's because I noticed that i'd gone 15 pages in (aprox 6500 words) and this particular arc was still nowhere near done . . . there is more to come obviously (or I could just be lazy and do a cop out with the beginning of the next chapter telling you how they accomplished the mission and yaddy yadda). so, Minori is messing with Shikamaru now? I really should have included her meddling with almost everything as part of the blurb . . . I wonder what else Minori is meddling with without our knowledge? hehehe**

 **in any case, tell me what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of. Take care.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Greetings everyone! first let me just say that this chapter was a bitch to write . . . i ended up stalling on the plot about halfway through it and it took me a few weeks to get back in the groove . . . that may actually be visible in the writing . . . it felt like it changed to me . . . and i may have forgotten a thing or two that might have come in handy for our plucky heroes . . . erm . . . whoops? oh well.**

 **secondly . . . had anyone noticed the names of the Suna team? it might be amusing to note that, i never intended for the suna team to be named . . . they were meant to just be background characters . . . one thing led to another and bam, suna team got names. that led to anther problem . . . no names to give them . . . sooooo had to get them from somewhere. the Suna team's names are all from Gaki no Tsukai, a japanese variety show (I think . . . I only ever watch their yearly Batsu games, check em out, they are hilarious) so that's amusing, kudos if you got that but i don't blame you if you didn't.**

 **in any case, I hope you enjoy and see you at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Part 12**

"A book on the Yadokawa clan? That's an obscure clan but I do remember reading about it" Said the Librarian of the Konoha library, pushing her glasses as she answered Shikamaru. "The Uchiha was in here the other week asking about it as well" she said as she moved out from behind the counter and headed for the genin clearance section the book was supposedly in. Shikamaru followed with a lazy slouch as the went past rows until the lady walked down one aisle and stopped at the end, underneath a window. "The book should be here but I can't seem to find it" The lady said as she scanned the shelves. Slight movement out of the corner of the eye caught Shikamaru's attention and his gaze travelled down to a tiny fragment of paper. Kneeling down, the Nara picked up the little scrap and looked it over, turning it back to front. The slip had clear indications of being burnt and it's only distinguishing markings was the letter 'Y' written on one side.

"That Uchiha must have taken the book!" The woman said in indignation.

"I think I found your book" Shikamaru drawled as he held the scrap for the woman to see. "Or what's left of it . . . troublesome" he added.

"But who would burn a book?! Here?! In the Konoha Library! We have chunin guards just over there!" the woman said, pointing out a clearly visible spot where a chunin was sitting rather boredly watching the people going about the library.

"Someone who wanted to erase all traces of their existence" Shikamaru replied, looking around. He knew he'd have to get a hold of Naruto next time he saw the boy. He was now sure that the woman was of the clan that Naruto claimed to be a part of and so he was the only source he could think of to find out that woman's name. "Thank you for your time" he said to the woman before walking off, his hands in his pockets.

* * *

"That's not a small group of bandits . . . that's a slowly forming army!" Endo said, a slight tinge of horror in his voice.

"Slowly forming is right . . . it would take em a few more months at the least before they'd even be able to challenge Suna and I doubt they could keep their presence a secret from us with the amount of food they need to keep that army fed" Matsumoto said, placing a hand on Endo's shoulder.

"Plus, they can only just use their chakra for muscle enhancement . . . only a few of them, if there are any other than the one we encountered, are any comparison to real ninja" Naruto said, weighing in on the conversation. The base that Matsumoto had talked about the night previous was nestled in a basin at the end of a long canyon and the group was crouching at the top of the canyon wall.

"They are bandits . . . they are still the kind of enemy you delegate to genin . . . we will blast you people a hole into that base and let you do your thing, backing you up when we are done" Sakura said as she surveyed the soon to be battleground. The base in question was built into the side of the canyon wall so that rockfalls wouldn't threaten it but the regular bandits had made camp around the entrance.

"What I want to know is why they are camping outside the base . . . it was meant to house the forces of a ninja village for long periods of time after all" Hosei added.

"Deterrence most likely, we'd see the troops on the outside and be made to think they've filled the base with troops already" Matsumoto replied.

"Who's to say it isn't?" Sasuke asked, crouching next to Sakura and Naruto.

"We'd have noticed already if they had those kinds of numbers . . . might look nice and fertile 'round these parts but let me tell you it isn't" Matsumoto replied with sarcasm. The surrounding landscape was hard-baked dirt, rock or sand and very little in anything let alone enough to feed an army. "You sure you kids can take em?" Matsumoto asked and got a nod from all three genin. "Then it's my recommendation that we wait for nightfall when you can sneak in and kill them in the dark" he suggested.

"Not necessary . . . squad seven is a frontline battle squad" Sakura replied and Matsumoto took another look at the three genin. "Although I shouldn't be on this squad . . . that's a question for when we get back home" Sakura added, frowning slightly and her two teammates looked at her.

"Sakura-chan, don't talk like that! You are great on this squad!" Naruto said, trying to cheer the girl up.

"You and I both know it should have been Hinata . . . she was top of the class" Sakura said quietly. "But, I'm here so we need to make the best of it . . . Sasuke, you good for this?" she asked the dark haired boy and he nodded. "Naruto . . . you good for this?" she asked and Naruto gave her a grin and a thumbs up.

"I don't disagree with you on Hinata . . . but if she had, who'd be our captain?" he said before Sakura could continue. Sakura merely nodded and carried on anyway.

"Naruto, we need a few extra soldiers and Sasuke . . . we are gonna need some literal firepower" Sakura said and both she and Naruto looked at Sasuke.

"What?" the Uchiha asked, he had gone pale as soon as Sakura had mentioned the word fire.

"Sasuke, I read that the sharingan makes you memorise everything you see . . . not just the jutsu" Naruto said softly and Sakura nodded.

"Yeah but I don't have . . ." Sasuke began but stopped as he realised something.

"When we found you, you had red eyes with a single tomoe" Naruto said and Sasuke's eyes widened at the knowledge.

"Now you just need to figure out how to control it . . . sensei can help with that when we get back to Konoha . . . in the meantime, can you or can you not continue this mission?" Sakura said, staring intently into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke clenched his fists and scowled at Sakura before nodding.

"I'm an Uchiha . . . I. Will. Do. It!" Sasuke said, the fire lighting his eyes.

"Good . . . Naruto . . . begin please" Sakura said, turning from Sasuke to the camp they were above. Naruto jumped off the edge and, with a puff of white smoke, turned into a small force of a few dozen all scream battle cries. "Sasuke . . . you know what to do" she said to the boy beside her who stood, face impassive and leapt down as well. Moments later a fireball smashed into the camp and several screams were heard just as the clash of metal on metal began.

"Quite the . . . team . . . you have here" Matsumoto said as he watched the fireball light up an area of the camp before another fireball shot towards another area of the camp, more screams in it's wake.

"I shouldn't be on this team . . . I was slated for genjutsu and my style is more infiltration and assassination . . . as you can see, that's not the speciality of this team" Sakura said quietly

"You sell yourself short . . . you have managed to keep control of an almost uncontrollable situation" Matsumoto said as he looked down at the pink haired girl. "I know a lot of chunin that would have retreated after being ambushed and tried to pass the mission off up the food chain" Hosei and Endo looked sheepish as Matsumoto said this.

"I understand that I've since earned my place . . . but I'm a lot different than I was a few weeks ago" Sakura said, not taking her eyes off the battle in front of her. "My scores somehow managed to be higher than a girl who could beat the entire class single handedly in Taijutsu . . . she should have been the rookie of the year but some loophole meant that I was named the Kunoichi of the year and Sasuke was named rookie of the year . . . thus meaning I was on this team and not the girl who already had the training in battle situations" Sakura explained, her voice a monotone. "The implications are political . . . and I suspect it's something to do with the council but I digress, let's enter the base now, the way should be clear" Sakura stood up and lightly leapt off the edge, landing gracefully in front of the burning camp.

When Sakura with the Suna team caught up with Naruto and Sasuke, she noticed that Sasuke's hand was shaking and Naruto wasn't grinning but rather looked serious, his sword in hand.

"I assume all those killed with slashes was your doing kid?" Matsumoto asked Naruto who nodded in response. "Why the throat? Haven't seen a body that was slashed anywhere else" he asked.

"Instant lethality . . . Yadokawa family combat style dictates one must strike in a place where he can guarantee the death of his target in a single slash, thus, the throat and vertebrae are our targets" Naruto said in a monotone as if reciting from a text book. Endo shuddered at sheer coldness of his voice.

"Good job team, now for the hard part . . ." Sakura said as she turned and looked at the entrance to the base. It was a large door that looked like it had places at the top that could be opened to allow ninja in or out rapidly.

"You didn't take part in the attack!" Sasuke angrily accused, pointing a finger at Sakura. The girl in question turned her gaze to the Uchiha and Sasuke froze again, the same chilling feeling running down his spine. Even Hosei and Endo were breaking out in a sweat behind Sakura as she forced her gaze upon the Uchiha.

"My skill, as you well know, is for individual targets and small groups . . ." Sakura said and suddenly the chilling feeling disappeared. Endo took an audible sigh of relief as the feeling abated.

"Looks like you inherited Kizashi's unique form of killing intent" Matsumoto said with a brief chuckle, drawing the attention of the five other shinobi present. "He killed six people with it alone" Matsumoto said, suddenly serious and Sakura recognised the warning in his words.

"In anycase . . . let's make this attack before they have more time to prepare traps" Sakura said, turning back to the door.

"How're we getting in?" Asked Naruto as he turned to look at the door as well.

"Leave that to us" Matsumoto said with a smirk as he confidently strode forth and just pushed the door open. "The door could only be locked by someone who knew the correct seals to lock it . . . Those people are all still in Suna" he said in explanation.

* * *

"Where do these people get their electricity from?" Naruto asked as he and the twin teams walked down a well lit corridor.

"That's actually a good question . . . normally we use chakra generators but there isn't one here . . . not to my knowledge anyway . . . those weren't common when this base was built" Matsumoto replied as he examined the electric lights that lined the corridor. "And still aren't in the wind country" he added

"Our enemies can use chakra" Sakura said quietly "Someone taught them . . . perhaps this someone got their hands on a generator big enough to use" she said, keeping her eyes on the corridor. The teams had been arrayed in such a way that Sasuke was in the front as his fireball jutsu would allow him to kill anyone in the corridor in front of them while Naruto was behind him for close ranged support and Sakura behind them. The Suna team was walking with Matsumoto in the lead and the other two standing side by side.

"What exactly is a chakra generator?" Sasuke asked as he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of movement.

"You mean you have no idea what's keeping your lights on boy? Kids these days, take all the modern marvels for granted" Matsumoto grumbled

"Chakra generators are devices that convert chakra into usable energy such as electricity . . . I think they also produce chakra . . . it's got something to do with Fuinjutsu I know that much but we never learnt about them in the academy so most people don't question where the power comes from" Sakura explained absently.

"Man sized contacts . . . a whole lot of em" Naruto said softly and the team came to a stop.

"What do you mean man-sized contacts and what do you mean by a whole lot of them?" Matsumoto asked, the possibility that he was wrong about his assessment not forgotten.

"I mean that I just activated my bloodline and I can't give you an estimate of numbers because there is so many people moving around right now that it's impossible to tell" Naruto replied quietly. "That's upwards of one person per square meter . . . but they are congregating into clumps so at least I can tell you where the hotspots are and right now there is one coming up on us" Naruto continued and the other ninja took that information in with growing horror.

"What was is you said about it not being fertile around here?" Sasuke asked, trying to sound casual.

"I don't suppose you can track . . . our teammate's position could you Naruto?" Sakura asked, already pulling out her bottle of Sake.

"Told you, my bloodline doesn't work that way" Naruto replied almost instantly and snatched the bottle of liquor from Sakura's hands to take a drink himself before handing it back. Sakura sighed as she took a sip before reaching to put the drink back in her pack but stopped.

"Do any of you have any cloth that you could spare?" Sakura asked the group, an Idea forming in her head.

"Why exactly do you keep a bottle of Sake on your person for anyway?" Matsumoto asked as he rummaged around for something usable. He pulled out a square of white cloth that might have been a handkerchief and handed it over.

"For when I need something with a little bit of a kick . . . I don't actually like the taste of Sake though but it does the job" Sakura replied before pulling the lid off of the bottle, tipping the bottle up so that the liquid would soak into the cloth and then wrapped the cloth down. "This will be useful when we want to . . . deter enemies" she said in reply to the unasked question that the other five had been looking at her with.

"The only thing we can do for the moment is carry on . . . they are just bandits so that still gives us the advantage but this has turned from a rescue mission to an intel mission . . . we aren't engaging until we are sure of how many ninja they have" Matsumoto said in a commanding voice and the other five nodded their assent to his command.

* * *

The team watched on as a congregation of several hundred people in shemaghs stood in the middle of an atrium of some kind. The pathway they had been following was clearly designed for ninja as it ended twenty meters from the ground and on the ground was the large huddle of people.

"No crops huh?" Sasuke said in a voice barely higher than a murmur which was almost impossible to hear over the throng. The group stepped back into the shadow of the corridor just as another man in the clearly uniform shemagh took center stage on a balcony.

"Brothers! Soon comes the hour when we will join in revolution against the hated Ninja and their vile villages!" Said the man who was clearly a leader. His words also sparked a round of cheers and pounding feet while Matsumoto sucked in his breath as soon as he heard the voice.

"You know him" Sakura stated, no louder than Sasuke's early comment.

"We fought together in two wars" Matsumoto replied "I had a feeling he'd be here but to have it proved . . . like this . . ." Matsumoto trailed off and Sakura understood the man's feeling "Hamada wasn't right after the Kazekage disappeared and the third war only compounded on that . . . he vanished shortly before it ended but I always suspected he had gone rogue" The gruff man said.

"Even as we speak" Hamada said, continuing now that the throng had quietened down. "Suna and Konoha conspire with each other! Sending supplies and troops to support each other!" he said and Matsumoto stiffened slightly, not slight enough for Sakura however and apparently even Naruto noticed. "We have captured one of the tree huggers" Hamada said and the sneer was evident in his voice. "Hatake Kakashi! Elite jounin of Konohagakure!" At his reveal, Kakashi was forced onto the balcony, his arms and legs tied in such a fashion to prevent him from performing jutsu or even the escape techniques. The man looked dejected, like he had lost everything in life.

"Sensei" Sakura whispered in concern while Matsumoto gave the pink head a look with a huff of amusement.

"Well done pinky, you had me successfully believing your teammate was just another genin brat and, if things had gone according to your plan, it would have been too late by the time we rescued him for me to back out" Matsumoto said before returning his attention to the jounin who was now the subject of a large number of jeers.

"See how even the mighty Sharingan Kakashi is no match for us!" Hamada continued and it was Sasuke's turn to stiffen, both Naruto and Sakura casted a glance in his direction, they would all ask their sensei later. "I might have said something along the lines of his team having fled the moment they realised he had been insufficient but no! They seem to have fallen victim to the arrogance of shinobi for there they stand!" Hamada said, directing the crowd's attention to the spot where team seven and their allies were standing, all of whom were now wearing an 'oh shit' expression.

"Sooooo . . . explosives?" Naruto asked calmly, only just managing to hide his enthusiasm for getting to use some bombs for a change.

"No . . . place is made of rock, heat the ceiling up too much and it might cause a full on collapse with us still inside" Matsumoto said, looking up at the roof.

"Then we do this the hard way" Sasuke said, his eyes blinking red as his sharingan settled in. "You're fighting" he said to Sakura who merely gave the last Uchiha an unamused look even as she drew her sword in an over-the-shoulder fashion. Naruto on her other side was grinning as his own sword flashed in the dim lighting the the interior.

"Just remember kids, you deal with the commonry, we'll take care of the ninja" Matsumoto huffed.

"Ahh my old teammate Matsumoto!" Hamada said and this time there was a grin in his voice. "It's been far too long" he continued. Sakura looked at her two teammates who both nodded and then they lept down, using chakra to disperse the impact of their fall until there was virtually no kinetic energy released at all. Sakura went through the katas she had learnt as curved swords appeared out of seemingly nowhere, she stood steady, moving her feet in calm and steady motions that never moved her center of mass while her sword flashed in the dim light, knocking one blade aside and flowing from that motion into a slash that claimed the life of the attacker. The killing slash then turned into a flowing spiral that deflected three blades and then flashed into a rapid slash that got another three men. If one were to look at Sakura, knowing she had only a few weeks since she even first picked up a sword, they would have called her a savant, a prodigy but Sakura saw only how her style was lacking, her movements slow and clunky as she parried, redirected, slashed, stabbed and then parried some more.

Elsewhere Naruto was a flashing demon of wind, his blade would flash in the light before blood would spurt and someone would either fall like a puppet with it's strings cut, or would fall clutching their throats, their life seeping onto the stone floor far too rapidly for survival. Instead of defending and retaliating like Sakura, Naruto used clones and speed to maintain the attack with fast paced taijutsu and then followed by a single slash and another dead body adding to the ever growing pile. It was safe to assume that if anyone were to analyse the battle afterwards, they would point to Naruto as the reason they won as Naruto evened the odds between the three fresh genin and the several hundred chakra using bandits. Naruto's liberal use of shadow clones enabled team seven to effectively fight with fifty gening against several hundred chakra using bandits.

Sasuke was panting as he reached into his tool pouch only to come up empty. The typical tool pouch only contained a few dozen tools and all of them were now scattered around the battlefield, sticking out of various dead bodies and several living ones. It was about this moment that Sasuke decided he needed a sword, a tool he could use repeatedly after he had spent all his tools or when he wanted to conserve them. Still, Sasuke needed weapons at that moment and he had only his jutsu but his best jutsu was also one that was devastating especially in such close proximity. Briefly, Sasuke checked around and noticed a shock of pink behind him and to his right as well as a purple fan flashing into and out of existence in front of him but to his left. Smirking, Sasuke faced away from the purple fan of his blonde teammate and flashed through the handsigns of his signature jutsu, he'd only get one shot however but still, it was all he had left as he put his hand to his mouth and breath out a great fireball that lit the entire atrium up with it's intensity and the noise of dozens of people screaming in agony as the fire burnt them alive in mere seconds.

At some point, the remainder had either fled or been killed by Sakura and Naruto but Sasuke remained in the same position, his hand to his mouth even though the jutsu had been completed several minutes ago.

"Oi Sasuke" Naruto called out, his voice and expression muted as he casted a glance at the line of charred bodies.

"Sasuke" Sakura said softly, her hand on the boy's shoulder. Sasuke flinched and looked at Sakura, noticing that there was blood on her face and in her hair.

"You . . . you fought" Sasuke said, bringing his hand down but not noticing it start shaking.

"Of course I did . . . this was one of those times where it was necessary" Sakura said, closing her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears but failing. For a moment, the three pre-adolescent children stood together, their heads down and eyes shut as they came to grips with the slaughter they just brought. Sakura was first to break their impromptu moment of silence as she lifted her head.

"Sensei is still up there . . . we should go find-" Sakura was cut off as chains appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around Naruto who attempted to struggle. "Naruto!" Sakura called out and she and Sasuke leapt away from the blonde so as not to be caught in the same trap. The man who had sprung it appeared from the ground, rising up from it like it was nothing but water.

"Looks like I caught myself a genin" The man said and Sakura immediately recognised the voice of Hamada. Sakura took a stance while Sasuke looked around for a weapon to use. "You jounin sensei was no match for me . . . do you really think you are any better?" Hamada asked with a laugh. Naruto's struggling began slowing down as they stood there and Sakura could see the energy draining out of the boy rapidly. "Oh noticed have you?" Hamada asked "This jutsu is the 'Chains of the Desert' jutsu . . . one of my own creation" Hamada explained. "It saps the victim's strength and willpower . . . just like the desert. Many Konoha fools fell to these chains and there isn't anyone alive that can break out of them" Sakura could hear the glee in the man's voice.

* * *

Naruto could feel his strength fade from him. It was an odd sensation, the feeling of his physical strength fading as well as his desire to resist and fight draining out of him. Even if his physical strength didn't get sucked out of him, his willpower was already at an all time low. Naruto wasn't entire sure when exactly but at some point, he stopped struggling and the man named Hamada chuckled, saying something that Naruto didn't catch as he slumped listlessly into the grip of the chains that were still sucking him dry. Already Naruto could feel his heart began to slow and his breath become harder but he was just too tired to fight it anymore. Suddenly a girl appeared in his mind's eye. He thought he recognised her, she was standing there with her back turned. The girl turned slightly so that she was looking over her shoulder, one hand on her hip and the look in her eyes as if she was telling him to hurry up. Naruto could feel the chains, they were drawing him away from the girl, he knew who she was and that she would be devastated if he were to die but it was just so hard to fight. The girl turned around completely to face him, her eyes casting concern over Naruto and the boy was starting to have trouble making out facial features as the distance grew and his mind blurred. It then occurred to Naruto that he'd never see her again, never see her smile, never talk to her and suddenly, desperation hit him. Naruto is very possessive of his precious people and he is now faced with the very real possibility of losing them all, he wouldn't allow that. A pair of eyes opened up behind Naruto and the boy turned to look at them.

"Kyuubi" Naruto whispered and a muzzle appeared, grinning.

"So" The giant demon fox rumbled "The jailor has finally decided to visit" it sneered.

"You and I both know that if I die here . . . so do you" Naruto said to the giant beast and suddenly the head had smashed itself against bars that suddenly came into existence but the Kyuubi said nothing. "Bout time you start paying rent" Naruto said with a glare and the Kyuubi grinned.

"Why should I?" The Kyuubi stated. "At least I will be free of this curse" it snarled but Naruto was having none of that.

"If you won't give it to me willingly . . . I'll take it by force" Naruto growled and felt for the power he had always known was there but somehow was only just noticing it.

"All for a silly girl" The Kyuubi growled before vanishing into the blackness of the void it came from.

Naruto snapped his eyes open, his cerulean blue eyes now red and slitted as a burst of chakra shattered the chains he was trapped in. Naruto growled at the man who had thought to take his life, the man who was now backing up as if he was facing a demon. Naruto grinned at the thought because them man was facing a demon.

"N-Naruto" Sakura said behind him, something like shock or fear in her voice, Naruto didn't care, he only cared about the man who tried to take him away from his loved ones.

"So the brat's got some fight after all" Hamada said and Naruto flashed forward, his sword long forgotten on the ground somewhere. Hamada leant back to avoid a swipe of Naruto's claws with ease but then had to take a step back to avoid Naruto's leg. Hamada was about to go on the attack when he had to dodge to the side in order to avoid a blade that appeared from nowhere. Sakura was standing next to Naruto who flashed off again but this time Sakura was following, all thoughts of what Naruto was could come after the enemy was defeated. It was almost laughable how these two genin were causing almost as much trouble as a full jounin but Hamada hadn't even started fighting back yet and so he took one step forward and lodged his foot into the chest of the demon fox boy that sent Naruto flying backwards until he hit a wall and slumped down unconscious.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out and then leapt back to narrowly avoid dieing from a curved sword that appeared where her head used to be.

"I'll admit, the boy was the first person to ever break out of my chains but still, even with that weird powerboost of his, neither of you are a match for a jounin" Hamada said and Sakura could still hear the grin in his voice. Sakura was worried, Naruto fought with nowhere near the amount of techniques in his arsenal and she was even sure he had some jutsu other than the clone jutsu but he had abandoned everything to attack the man, even his sword on the floor in the middle of the room. Sakura looked behind her again and noticed Sasuke was barely able to move, the jutsu he did earlier finally catching up to him and he was on one knee, a reclaimed kunai in his hand held ready despite his position. Naruto was out for the count on the far wall, not moving and Sakura couldn't see his chest moving but it was a fair distance. "What's the matter girl? Noticed that you are basically dead? Surrender that fancy sword to me and I'll let you live as my first concubine" Hamada said and Sakura could hear the maniacal grin on his face. Sakura thought about it for a second or two and then levelled her gaze to the man's own eyes, her sword held ready.

"Today is a good day to die" Sakura said softly, her hair obscuring her eyes and then she charged.

* * *

Hamada's first reaction to the girl's words was to notice that her killing intent had just spiked but it was like nothing he had ever felt before. The feeling was like the girl had suddenly taken all of the heat out of the room and replaced it with the simple fact that he was already dead and dead people aren't warm. This was compounded by the fact that Hamada could see his breath but that made no sense since he was wearing a shemagh but it was that moment he noticed the girl's charge, her sword high and ready to strike. Pushing aside everything he could, Hamada brought his own sword up and blocked the girl's surprisingly heavy attack only for the girl to gracefully dance around him and attempt another strike, this time using the back edge of her odd sword. Hamada was going to let her hit him with the blunt edge of the blade just to prove she would need to do better than that but immediately lept back when he noticed that there was no blunt edge and he had almost made a rookie mistake.

They traded blows for several minutes and each strike, Hamada felt himself get colder which shouldn't have been possible since the girl wasn't doing anything other than project killing intent but still, it was getting harder and harder to concentrate on the fight. Hamada idly considered the possibility that the girl had used a jutsu similar to his, a more snow oriented version but dismissed that notion almost immediately because he was sure this was just her killing intent. He then had to duck and dodge as his idly thought distracted himself from the pink demon in front of him. There was no way a genin could keep up with him and yet it was he that was on the back foot. Growling, Hamada decided enough was enough and, projecting his own killing intent in the hope it would counter hers, he stepped forward and smashed the girl's blade as hard as he could with his own. Hamada's killing intent did not counter the girl's, her sword was apparently built by the gods themselves because he didn't even notice a chip after he hit it edge on edge with is own, his sword broke into pieces and the girl lost her blade from the force of the strike. Hamada was still pleased with the results as this meant he had the advantage over the clearly kenjutsu specialised girl. Hamada was not thinking he still had the advantage when the girl pulled another surprise out of her pocket and engaged him in quality taijutsu, every kick being felt through his entire body.

The fight carried on for even longer until the girl apparently ran out of breath and chakra but by then, even Hamada was panting. He was sure that if he was still in his prime, the girl would be dead by now but there she was, alive and with only a few bruises to show that he had even hit her. It was then that Hamada really noticed the cold, how it had slowed him down without him noticing. Finally he realised exactly how a genin had been a match for him, whatever technique she was using was sapping his strength just like his chains and even though he was ignoring it, it was still affecting him. He had to end the fight quickly before he was too cold to even move and died of hypothermia. That would be embarrassing to die from cold in the middle of the desert during the day. Hamada was about to use his chains jutsu when the girl moved first, a blindingly fast dash and she was taking his legs out from under him. Hamada had just enough time to noticed he was on the ground and that he had gotten distracted when he noticed the kunai in the girl's hand and the tears running down her face and he realised, she hadn't used a single one this entire battle. He realised she was terrified of the weapon in her hand, it had traumatised her at some point and here she was about to use it, her spirit great enough to overcome trauma. Hamada almost laughed before he growled with pain as the kunai lodged itself in his torso. Hamada made a move to grab the girl's hands to stop her from pulling it out and stabbing him in a better place but was met only by a fist in the face and more of that cursed chill she was hitting him with. A wet squelch was heard as the girl pulled the blade clear and plunged it in again and Hamada groaned in agony, he became desperate, this was a girl, a little girl barely out of diapers and he couldn't die now. Hamada groaned again but less loudly than before as the kunai was plunged in again and again and again, each time his groans got quieter until he was making no noise at all but still Sakura kept plunging the knife in again and again.

Sakura was audibly sobbing as she stabbed the man over and over, each time she slammed that blade into him, she grunted from the strength she was putting into each strike. The man's ribs were probably broken by now and blood was covering Sakura but she kept stabbing and stabbing until, when her hands were poised to deliver another strike, another hand grabbed her own. Sakura's eyes went wide as she looked at the shaking hand, it was encased in a fingerless glove with a metal plate on the back end.

"I think that's enough Sakura-chan" Came the extremely tired voice of Kakashi "He's dead" the silver haired man said to her "and they are alive" he added. Sakura heard him and the visions of her family that were flashing through her mind went back into the depths of her memory, to be hidden once more. Sakura's breath came ragged and she stopped to take a breather, allowing Kakashi to slide the kunai from her grasp and letting her arms flop to her side. Kakashi helped her to her feet and then wrapped his arms around her while she cried into his chest, her loud sobs echoing in the otherwise silent atrium.

* * *

"So, now that you have been rescued, I've been led to believe that you have the scroll" Matsumoto casually said to Kakashi. Both teams were outside and away from the base until it was out of sight.

"Ahh well . . . I think you may have been misled . . . Sakura, if you would be so kind as to hand over the scroll" Kakashi replied and Sakura, who had her eyes down in a guilty expression, handed over the scroll that the Suna team had been after. Sasuke looked like he had just had his mind blown by the fact that Sakura had it the entire time and Naruto just chuckled but the shock and outrage from the two Suna chunin was also amusing.

"You mean you had it the entire time!" Exclaimed Hosei who stared at the girl.

"I'm slipping in my old age" Matsumoto chuckled "We got duped into being the reinforcements for a rescue mission" he said again, shaking his head "Well played kid, well played . . . I think we can all agree that Kakashi had the scroll and that this was not a waste of our time and it was all part of the mission" he said and Hosei and Endo nodded solemnly as anything else could be considered them deserting.

"Well . . . all's well that ends well" Kakashi said with his signature eye smile "But now that we have all completed our missions, we should probably head back home before someone launches an invasion of all the neighbouring countries" Kakashi said casually, his hands in his pocket and adopting a slouch. Meanwhile Matsumoto merely grimaced at the reminder of how the third shinobi war started.

"We wouldn't want that to happen . . . again" Matsumoto agreed solemnly and the two teams headed off in different directions, the Konoha team being allies meant they had free reign to leave on their own.

"Sensei, something was fishy with this whole thing" Sakura said calmly as she watched the Suna team disappear.

"Oh? And what do you think is underneath the underneath here?" Kakashi asked the girl casually.

"Matsumoto told us that nothing grows here and that any attempt to gather supplies on a scale large enough to support the troops that were in there . . . would have been noticed by Suna . . . it wasn't" Sakura said and Kakashi filed that piece of information away for later, it may not be important but, never forget a piece of intel.

"Anything else?" Kakashi asked, he had noticed a couple things himself like how the base had electricity and running water in the middle of the desert and in a country not known for technological advancement . . . getting access to a generator large enough to power that base . . .

"Matsumoto also kept digging into pieces of information that might have been insignificant but still . . . I remember his eyes light up for a second when he thought Naruto might have been connected to the Hokage" Sakura said and that was a more important piece of information. "That trick of mine to get them to help us . . . that wasn't why I did that . . . they were prepared to kill us if we didn't hand over the scroll but since they had moved to surround us first before demanding the scroll . . ." Sakura trailed off and Kakashi read between the lines, they were prepared to strike konoha ninja just because they were there. That in itself was suspicious but added to them being nosy and Kakashi wasn't sure he liked the information he was getting from this.

"Our alliance with Suna is tenuous at best and Matsumoto is a veteran of the second shinobi war . . . when we fought against Suna" Kakashi said causally and Sakura glanced at him, a flash of understanding in her eyes. He hoped it meant she got that he wanted her to use that as a cover and not the actual explanation but it wouldn't matter anyway, she was right, this whole mission from the very start was suspicious.

* * *

 **So, our heroes have completed their first C-rank and boy did it go wrong! well . . . i suppose they still need to turn it in but that can happen next time . . . i need to get up in less than six hours for work (as of the time of writing this) probably could have left a more detailed message here but yeah . . .**

 **in any case, tell me what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of. take care.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Greetings everyone! it's been a few months since I last updated hasn't it . . . yeah well, I kinda got distracted by another story that i started (check it out if you haven't it's called "The Power of Darkness") anyway, i suppose i should mention that if you do/are reading The Power of Darkness as well, there are elements of that story that will explain things about Sakura and her family but that being said, they are spoilers for her arc in this story as well so . . . wait until Sakura's arc is more completed? you choice.**

 **in any case, this particular chapter is . . . shorter than i'd like but i couldn't be bothered adding another scene on the end . . . there IS supposed to be two additional scenes on the end of this story but i decided (approximately 1 minute and 39 seconds before i started writing this) that i couldn't be fucked. what does that mean for this chapter? it's short and a little rushed and a new style of editing that i'm doing means it just might be cleaner than my normal garbage but clean garbage is style garbage . . . well, you know what they say . . . it's called "Trash Can" not "Trash Cannot"  
**

 **in any case, I hope you enjoy, see you at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Part 13**

"You took much longer than anticipated . . . what was the holdup?" Asked the Kazekage to the three shinobi he had sent to retrieve the routine delivery.

"It turned out that the Konoha team was ambushed by chakra using bandits . . . the jounin with the scroll was taken captive so we retrieved it" Matsumoto explained calmly.

"Oh? I was informed that it was a genin team on this mission . . . what happened to them? Anyone we should watch out for in the next chunin exam?" Rasa asked, turning his head to regard the shinobi in a more amused light.

"I think there is one genin we should add to the bingo books" Matsumoto said causing his two subordinates to stiffen and even the Kazekage looked surprised.

"That's not common . . . what did he do?" Rasa asked, pulling out some paper and a pen to jot notes down.

"Her actually . . . Haruno Sakura" Matsumoto replied and this time the Kazekage stiffened. "Bright pink hair and everything"

"I thought that accursed clan was exterminated to the last man woman and child!" Rasa said angrily before turning his head to look out over his village.

"Apparently we were wrong . . . Kizashi wasn't even the last in the line or so I hear . . . regardless of the lineage . . . I watched that pink haired genin girl, who'd only graduated a couple of weeks ago, murder Hamada . . . you remember him don't you? I do and I know he was no pushover" Matsumoto said while behind him his two subordinates exchanged glances. Rasa nodded before turning to write on the paper he had pulled out.

"Describe her and her talents for me please" the kazekage ordered.

* * *

"Alright my cute little genin!" Kakashi said as he gave his squad his eye smile. "You have had a rather trying experience so you can have the day off, I'll go deliver the mission report myself, meet me at our usual meeting spot tomorrow" Kakashi said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Well . . . why don't we go to this lovely place I know and get some tea and pastries" Naruto said with a sigh before heading off down the main street of Konoha. The team had only just returned from their mission and a good spell of relaxation would be nice.

"Coming Sasuke? A nice good sit down and review of the events of the mission, the battle especially, would only help us in the long run . . . power only goes so far without knowledge and experience" Sakura said, briefly touching the dark haired boy on the shoulder before heading off. Sasuke shrugged before following after his two teammates, he wanted to know exactly where they had gotten their swords and how Sakura had gotten so good with hers.

They hadn't been walking long when they arrived at a quaint little cafe nestled into the corner of a crossroads.

"So, Naruto . . . what was that?" Sakura asked as she got into a booth next to a window in the corner of the shop.

"What was what?" Naruto asked, turning to her in curiosity as he sat opposite her, leaving Sasuke to sit next to her. Both Sakura and Naruto gave small smirks at the change in situation while Sasuke himself glared at them.

"That thing you did when we were fighting Hamada" Sakura replied and suddenly Naruto tensed up, opening his mouth as if to say something but stopped when a waitress came over.

"Can I get you three anything?" she asked pleasantly.

"Tea and some pastries . . . surprise us" Sasuke said, causing his teammates to look at him even as the waitress smiled and walked off to fulfil their order. "You were about to say Naruto?" he asked, directing his attention at the blonde. Naruto for his part looked out the window as a melancholy look took over his features.

"I was born October tenth . . . you can figure out the rest" Naruto said and Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the vague response.

"Dobe, what does that have to do with anything?" Sasuke asked while Sakura gasped in shock, a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise.

"Kunai sealed into a scroll" Naruto said and Sakura's eyes widened again, so much so that Sasuke though he might be able to use them as dinner plates soon. Turning his attention back to Naruto, he decided to try and figure out what the riddle was, what significant event occurred on the tenth of October. The only thing he could think of was the Kyuubi attack and Sasuke's thoughts derailed from there. Naruto's whiskers, his birth date, the glares and aura of hatred he received from all bar a select few. Naruto's second clue then came into it's own.

"I see" Sasuke said after a few minutes past and Naruto gave both his teammates a sad look, as if he was expecting them to hate him. "Matters little I suppose . . . just gotta try not to do it again unless you can control it better . . . I've seen academy students last longer" Sasuke said, glancing up at the waitress as she somehow managed to carry both a platter with a pot of tea and three cups as well as a platter of some type of small glazed cakes with what looked like cream in the middle. The woman set both down, separated the cups and filled each with a tan mix. "I asked for tea" Sasuke said with a frown as he looked at the lady.

"You didn't specify what kind" she said with a wink "It goes better with this type of pastry" she added before leaving again. Sasuke picked up his cup and took an exploratory sip noting that he could taste four different ingredients.

"She's right you know . . . it's called black tea and arrived in our markets at around the same time this shop appeared, it's foreign . . . both the tea and the shop" Naruto said casually as he sipped his tea and Sakura picked up her own.

"It's sweet" she said "and creamy" Naruto nodded his agreement with a smirk that was quickly becoming his trademark.

"Where did you two get your swords?" Sasuke asked, setting his cup down and looking at Naruto.

"I had mine specially made for me . . . Yadokawa tradition . . ." Naruto said before taking one of the cakes and slicing into it with a spoon.

"Mine came from a weapon shop but it's apparently foreign so no chance of getting another one soon" Sakura said, already biting into a portion of her own cake. "I can show you if you like, the guy that runs the store knows his business, his name is Higurashi" she added and Naruto's eyes jerked to Sakura.

"Hey is that where you got your sword? The old man said he had a customer come in who was almost impossible to fit" Naruto said in surprise. "Old man Higurashi has never met a customer he couldn't outfit" he added proudly, nodding his head for emphasis.

"Haruno Sakura?" A nondescript man in standard chunin attire asked, having approached the booth the three were in.

"Yes?" Sakura asked, suddenly on guard as were her three teammates.

"Your presence was requested by the head of intelligence" the chunin stated before holding up a half ram sign and poofing away.

"Umm . . . where is intelligence?" Sakura asked, having never needed to know that before.

"It's in the Hokage Tower . . . erm . . . most I know is that it's the place you have to go through to get to T&I as well as the messenger post" Naruto replied, shrugging as he realised he didn't really know either.

"I'm sure they do this on purpose" Sakura sighed before taking a big bite of her cake and a gulp of her tea, standing and exiting the cafe.

"Why is there a Hyuuga sitting in the corner and watching everyone?" Sasuke asked, he had noticed the Hyuuga before but didn't think anything of it until it dawned on him that it looked almost as if the Hyuuga was a guard.

"Erm . . . the Hyuuga heiress kinda decided to place this shop under the protection of the Hyuuga after an incident involving some gang trying to shake it down . . . I guess Hiashi found out and decided to make good on that" Naruto replied "Come, let's finish here and I'll show you to the weapon shop" he added while Sasuke just nodded.

* * *

"Hey old man!" Naruto called out as he and Sasuke entered Higurashi's weapon shop "Sasuke needs a weapon, reckon you can fit him?" Naruto asked the kindly man that was sitting behind the counter.

"Naruto-kun! You said you'd be four days!" Came a distinctly female voice as a girl with a very panda like look appeared out of thin air and mere inches away from Naruto's face.

"Err . . . hey Tenten . . . yeah, things sorta got a bit hectic . . . and we spent three days tracking down some bandits . . . speaking of" Naruto said before stepping back and removing his sword, his face suddenly serious as he handed the sheathed blade to Tenten. For her part, Tenten grew somber before she even drew the blade but she did and her eyes held a slight sadness to them.

"This was used extensively" Tenten said quietly before turning around and heading into the back of the store, Naruto in tow.

"Those two have been friends for a little under six years" Higurashi said fondly as he continued to look in the direction they left in. "In any case, come, you have need of a weapon" he said to Sasuke who was left in the store alone with the kindly man. Sasuke took a look at all of the various weapons that were featured and his eyes were drawn to the katana.

"How much for a standard Katana?" Sasuke asked as he walked over to the wrack that had the blades.

"There is no such thing in this store my young man" Higurashi replied before gesturing at the weapons in question. "Each weapon has their own spirit that I helped give birth to . . . they have their own personality" he said and Sasuke frowned as he picked up on weapon, the sheath had a red kanji on it that read tiger but was otherwise black. Drawing the blade and giving it a few swings, Sasuke felt like he was doing something wrong. "You see?" Higurashi asked as Sasuke sheathed the weapon and picked up another one. This time he felt odd, like he was standing too still, looking at the Kanji on the sheath he saw the symbol for wolf on it.

"This is strange" Sasuke said before sheathing the weapon and putting it back on the rack.

"Every weapon other than your mass produced garbage has a spirit . . . you need to find the one that best connects with your own" Higurashi explained as he walked up to Sasuke. Sasuke noted the analytical look in his eyes and opted to drew a kunai, changing his stance to one of readiness before changing back and sheathing the kunai. Higurashi nodded in appreciation before walking over to another rack of weapons, longer blades this time. "Your teammate came in as well . . . the pink haired girl, Sakura I believe her name is, if Naruto is to be believed" the man said, looking at the Kanji on the sheaths of each weapon he pulled out, giving Sasuke an analytical look before putting each weapon back.

"I thought there wasn't a person you couldn't outfit" Sasuke said with a teasing smirk as he watched the man move over to smaller weapons, wakizashi.

"You are probably good with the second Katana you pulled out of that rack" Higurashi said absently as he picked through the rack, not finding the weapon he wanted and turning away from the rack. "But looking at you . . . I think something that uses one hand or two might be better" he said as he walked over to the Ninja-to and pulled a few off the rack. The man pulled out one sword and handed it to Sasuke. "Give that a few swings" he said and Sasuke pulled it out of the sheath, noting that the metal wasn't shining at all and actually seemed to absorb light a little. Swinging the blade, Sasuke felt it and felt that the sword didn't want him.

"I feel like I'm going insane" Sasuke said as he sheathed the weapon. Higurashi gave the boy a quizzical look as he took the weapon. "The sword told me she didn't want me" he said and then noticed what he said, his eyes snapping open.

"Not insane boy, I told you every weapon in here other than the mass produced garbage has a spirit, you are just talking to the spirit . . . not something most people do to be honest but the best swordsmen always do" Higurashi explained as he went back to his Ninja-to rack and scavenged around looking for another blade. Pulling another one out, Higurashi handed it to Sasuke and looked at him expectantly. Sasuke unsheathed the weapon and gave it a few swings, feeling the weapon as he did. On his third swing he felt his wrist move so he took his second hand off the sword and swung it like that, letting the weapon do it's thing.

"She's trying to correct my stance and swing" Sasuke breathed "This is madness . . . complete and utter madness" he continued, holding up the sword to look at it. Looking down at the sheath he saw the kanji for night wolf written in some sort of bluish silver before looking back at the blade and giving it another swing, falling into a completely relaxed stance with the arm holding the sheath resting on his left hip and his sword raised out in front of him.

"So would you like a belt as well? Or a shoulder mount?" Higurashi asked.

"A belt . . . she wants to be belted on like Naruto does it" Sasuke replied, shaking his head. "I'm talking to a sword" he said, still not believing his own sanity.

"Sanity is for the weak" Higurashi said as he walked back over to the counter.

* * *

Sakura was out of her element as she walked towards the office of the head of intelligence, a man in his late twenties to early thirties accompanying her.

"No idea why the head wanted to talk to you to be honest" The man said, he had introduced himself as Aoba when she had walked in asking for the office. "But that woman does a lot of mysterious things . . . you need to work for intelligence to figure out anything to do with that woman" he continued.

"What, like you?" Sakura replied and earned a smirk from the man, his sun glasses making him look more laid back.

"Well, here we are" Aoba said, pointing to a door with no markings on it at all before turning around and walking away. Sakura took a look in the direction Aoba went before knocking on the door.

"Come in Sakura" Came a voice that Sakura recognised immediately. Opening the door and entering presented Sakura with the sight of Minori sitting behind a desk and focusing on some form of paperwork, filling out a form, setting it aside before grabbing another one and repeating the process.

"Umm . . . Minori err . . . Yadokawa-sama?" Sakura said, her voice holding the question on how she was supposed to address the woman.

"Minori is fine and you don't need such lofty honorifics" Minori replied with a smirk, looking up from what she was doing. "It's come to my attention that you may have some . . . details on Suna shinobi acting strangely" Minori continued, pulling out a cream folder and opening it up. "It says here that they appeared to be ready to attack konoha shinobi on sight and that bandits in their territory were suspiciously well equipped" she said before looking up at Sakura, a questioning glint in her eyes.

"Ahh yes, that's correct" Sakura replied, suddenly nervous about how serious the conversation was. "They even asked about you" she added, feeling the need to include it. Minori carefully considered Sakura for a few more moments before snapping the folder shut again.

"It also says that you used a special form of killing intent to aid you in the murder of a missing-nin" Minori said as she observed Sakura intently.

"I . . . don't know . . . but maybe? It felt natural so I did it" Sakura replied, turning her head away and looking at the ground.

"And it mentioned that you took control of the squad in the absence of Kakashi, putting insubordinate teammates in their place through fear" Minori said, her hands folded on the desk and eyes narrowed. Sakura's eyes snapped open and she looked up at Minori before letting out a squeak and taking a few steps back. "Why use fear rather than reason?" Minori asked.

"I-it . . . it worked better as a d-deterrent" Sakura replied quietly. Minori sighed and suddenly all the pressure that Sakura was under went away.

"You aren't ready" Minori muttered quietly, closing her eyes for a second before picking up her pen and continuing her work. "I do have high hopes for you though so Ibiki, the head of T&I is waiting outside for you" Minori said without looking up. Sakura's eyes widened and she took another step back as fear set in. "Oh don't be so afraid, he's going to give you a tour that very few people come back from . . . you will be one of those and you are getting to see it from the good side of the glass . . . maybe it will help you get yourself sorted" Minori said, giving Sakura a quick glance before returning to her work. "That is all, try not to get wasted too often" she said with an air of finality and Sakura bowed before opening the door again and leaving. After exiting the office, Sakura immediately noticed the largish man with a scar down his face and a bandanna holding his hitai-ate on his forehead.

"I'm Morino Ibiki, you will follow me, you will do as I say when I say" Ibiki stated in a monotone. "Is this clear?" he asked, giving Sakura the opinion that the only answer was yes so she nodded. "Good, stay close or you won't be making a return trip" he added before marching off towards T&I.

* * *

"Ahh Anko-chan, how are you?" Minori greeted as the woman in question entered her office.

"Minori-sama! I'm great but I was told I was supposed to be meeting with the big boss" Anko said, looking around in confusion. Minori raised an eyebrow at the honorific that Anko had given her but otherwise remained silent.

"You are" Minori said casually as she sipped a cup of tea. Anko looked at Minori in even greater confusion than before. "I am the head of intelligence" she said and Anko was suddenly very shocked.

"Whaaaaaat!? When did that happen!?" Anko shouted, causing Minori to chuckle slightly at Anko's antics.

"What? You thought I just wandered the streets randomly? I have been working here for six years . . . and I have been 'not' working here for twelve" Minori said with a good degree of amusement. Anko however just looked at her in confusion, cocking her head in a confused puppy expression, it was so much like Naruto that it made Minori chuckle again.

"What do you mean?" she asked, obviously confused about the subtle hint

"I'm a spy, spies gather intel . . . I worked under plausible deniability blankets for about six years and still do just . . . less frequently" Minori replied and Anko's face lit up in understanding.

"So why did you ask me here?" Anko asked before taking a seat on a lounge that had been tucked into the corner and wasn't immediately visible from the door.

"I noticed you added an honorific to my name . . . the same one you used for Orochimaru" Minori casually mentioned as she took another sip of her tea. Anko, meanwhile, had sat up ramrod straight at the mention of her old master.

"It's not like that!" Ank exclaimed. "I know you aren't a traitor and wouldn't do anything like that to the village!" she continued.

"Yes and I noticed you defended me against Sarutobi as well . . . quite animatedly I might add" Minori said as she studied the purple haired woman in front of her.

"Because I thought he thought you were controlling me through the sundered hearts seal!" Anko said, getting skittish now that she was trying to defend her actions.

"You didn't even stop to consider I might have been?" Minori asked and Anko looked at her as if she had gone mad.

"You wouldn't do that . . . right?" Anko asked, feeling as though she was being walked into something.

"You tell me . . . would I?" Minori counter asked, leaning forward slightly and offering the snake mistress a smirk with a hint of something wicked in her eyes. Anko stopped to seriously consider her position and what she knew about the woman she had come to see as a new master. Reaching up and touching the mark on her shoulder, she remembered the feeling of cleanliness that washed over her when the seal had been changed, and even now she felt clean, light and free.

"No . . . not me" Anko said seriously, giving Minori an intense look. Minori sat back into her chair and sipped at her cup of tea.

"I want to put a seal on you" She said casually "It is like the ANBU seals in that it will allow you to find me if you pulse the seal or me you through that seal . . . it will also allow me to let you know I want your presence" Minori explained before putting her cup down and waiting for Anko's response. Anko carefully considered the request given to her, she had already been screwed over by someone in this position once already. "I don't want you to rush in and make the same mistake as last time but I'm sure you already know exactly what I'm asking of you" Minori said.

"Yeah I get it . . . you want your own private ANBU like ROOT used to be back in the day only less legal" Anko said, she really wanted to carefully consider the request but she knew she had already made up her mind. "I'll do it" Anko said before standing up and walking over to Minori who had already pulled out her sealing equipment. Grabbing Anko's left wrist and moving the sleeve of her coat up to access the skin, Minori drew a curvy line with a swirl on either end all in the colour lime green. The moment the seal was in place, Anko felt it latch hold of her and felt it pulse once, sending a mild tingling sensation up her arm that was completely unmistakeable.

"Well, that's it . . . first order of the day . . . go see how Sakura is doing down in T&I" Minori said as Anko stepped back, rubbing her arm absently, it wasn't that it hurt, just that she could feel the mark on her just like she could with Orochimaru's curse mark, only this time she knew it didn't have any special properties. Anko nodded and left the office.

* * *

 **And we come to the end of another chapter . . . i really should have added those extra two scenes onto the end here . . . ahh well, i'm in the editing phase now so i am not going back and adding those two scenes . . . i need my sleep since i work tomorrow. one thing though, I hate these chapters where nothing is really happening . . . well, i'm advancing the plot i suppose . . . but yeah . . . give me a good idea on what you guys thought about the whole "Spirit in the weapon" thing because if that's too much for you i'll just not mention it . . . and be satisfied in the knowledge that it's there but you can't see it.**

 **in any case, let me know what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of. take care.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Greetings everyone! first up, I'm sorry it's been a long time since I updated . . . actually, this update was almost finished by the week before christmas . . . things just sorta happened that prevented me from writing the last scene to this chapter and publishing it.**

 **speaking of this chapter's contents, I should warn you all now that this chapter contains Yuri elements (in the first scene) and also has more . . . sexual references than any of my other chapters to date . . . this isn't going to become a norm, this chapter was really just a day in the life of a bunch of characters, we will be moving right along after this and I have little intention to focus on romantic details . . . i won't skimp of them if they are important to character development or the plot. speaking of, the reason we are seeing so much of Sakura right now is because we are currently in what I call the "Sakura Arc" but don't worry . . . once this is over, she will hopefully go back to being a supporting character for Naruto . . . I hope . . . she is very forceful . . .**

 **anyway, I hope you all enjoy, see you at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Part 14**

Sakura suppressed a groan as she woke up, the throbbing in her head making it evident she had drank more than she intended the night previous. It was about this moment that she noticed something soft and warm beside her and her eyes snapped open.

"Morning" Greeted Ino who had noted the pinkette waking.

"G-good morning?" Sakura returned hesitantly, memories of the night before catching up to her hungover mind causing her to blush madly.

"Never thought you swung that way but I am _not_ complaining" Ino breathed, stretching herself out like a cat, displacing the blankets and removing any doubt as to what happened, before rolling over with her arms under her head and grinning at Sakura.

"W-well . . . I was drunk . . . but you weren't" Sakura said, remembering more details from before. "It's almost like you intended for this to happen" she continued, turning her head to look at Ino. the girl in question merely grinned before getting up and looking around for her clothes. "I-Ino?" Sakura asked hesitantly

"Hmm?" Ino stopped to look at Sakura over her shoulder, her blond hair falling around her back and down to her bottom in a waterfall of straight golden hair.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we got together?" Sakura asked softly. Ino smiled before turning back to gathering her clothes.

"I have . . . but it would never work between us" Ino replied.

"Why not?" Sakura asked sitting up so that she was perched on the edge of her bed. "I mean . . . after going this far . . . why not at least see if it could? Worst case scenario, we just go back to being sassy to each other all the time" Sakura said, her green eyes memorising Ino's form in ways she couldn't the night before.

"Sakura . . . we're both girls for one and remember we both were into boys . . . or have you forgotten about Sasuke?" Ino replied, turning to face Sakura.

"I . . . want to give it a go . . . just to see if it would work" Sakura said before getting up and moving to just a few inches away from Ino. "Ino . . . I killed on this last mission . . . I . . . I don't even know how many I killed . . . me with my infalible memory . . . lost count how many lives I wrenched from this world" Sakura explained, her eyes closed and head bowed. Ino studied Sakura intently before sighing and wrapping her arms around Sakura.

"I am seriously going to regret this but okay . . . we can try" Ino said softly and Sakura opened her eyes, returning the blond's embrace. "Is your mum going to worry about . . . us?" Ino asked after a few moments.

"Just tell her we had an impromptu sleepover and she'll be delighted . . . think she's getting her little girl back" Sakura replied as she put her head on Ino's shoulder. "We're twelve Ino . . . and I see some of the civilian twelve year olds in town . . . they act so childish . . . some of them aren't even speaking properly . . . they talk about boys and hair and fashion and how bugs are icky" Sakura said softly, a tear making its way down her cheek. "And here we are . . . the moment we put our hitai-ate on we became adults, let into bars, clubs and . . . other establishments . . . because they know we need something to take the edge off" Sakura continued "I don't remember why I became a shinobi but I can't think what my life would be like if I wasn't . . . I see nightmares about things that have happened but when I wake I can't imagine myself doing anything different" Sakura was outright crying now. "I'm a murderer and I can't imagine life any other way" she gasped out between tears, barely noticing that Ino's hands were rubbing soothing patterns into her back.

"Shhh it's okay Sakura, no matter what happens, I'll be there with you" Ino said softly into the sobbing girl's ear.

"Hey Ino?" Sakura asked softly

"Yeah?" Ino replied

"Can you help me with my hair?" Sakura asked, shifting so that her head was on Ino's shoulder.

"You want it at the length you had it before . . . Sasuke?" Ino asked and felt, rather than saw, Sakura nodding.

* * *

Danzo watched as the sun began to sink below the horizon. In front of him a short ways was the blonde jinchuriki, sitting on the head of the Yondaime Hokage. Danzo had been meaning to talk to the boy for a short while now, ever since he had become a ninja. If the Hokage wouldn't turn the weapon over to him, he would entice the weapon to come willingly. The boy was loyal to his friends, family and adoptive clan which was another reason Danzo wanted the boy, his adoption into the clan came with a kekkei genkai that could be transferred to additional people, allowing Danzo to breed shinobi with tracking skills to rival the Hyuga. Just as he was about to take a step forward, a hand appeared on his shoulder.

"Now now Danzo- _sama_ " said a distinctly female voice, Danzo knew exactly who the voice belonged to but he didn't know how she had snuck up on him. "Do you like it? It's a seal that my little brother invented . . . I refined it of course but it effectively suppresses sound, smell and chakra to the point where the user has to be right on top of you to be detected without you using your eyes . . . my refined version works better though" Minori explained from right beside him on his blind side. "I would move if I were you . . . that paper bomb on your shoulder might just trip that eye of yours" the insufferable woman said, he could hear the coy grin she was giving him as he went very still.

"What is it you want?" Danzo asked, keeping his head forward as his mind worked furiously for a way out of this and for how the woman could possibly know about his eye.

"It's not about what I want . . . it's about what you want" The woman replied, just out of his sight range, as if she was teasing the very edges of his senses. "I sooooo hope what you want with my little brother is worth it" she said in a voice that was almost seductive "Because now that you are here . . ." she continued before the temperature dropped as Danzo was hit with a killer intent that could only be described as psychotic. "Because now you have my _attention_ " the woman said, the last word sending a shiver down Danzo's back and he could picture the malicious grin she was sporting. The hand that Minori had kept on his shoulder the entire time was removed and Danzo took the liberty of turning around, only to see nothing. He made a mental note to have some of his agents remove the troublesome woman before she got to be too serious a threat. Turning back to Naruto, Danzo considered what he was about to do, was the boy really worth the trouble of dealing with Minori. Taking a step back, Danzo decided it wasn't before turning and leaving. At least, he decided it wasn't worth it yet . . . he would remove Minori first, blame the crime on some threat he could use to manipulate the blonde and then the weapon would be his.

* * *

"Naruto" called out the soft voice of Hinata as she walked over to where Naruto was sitting on the head of the Yondaime. "I was looking for you" she said as she stopped beside the sitting blonde. "I had to find out from Tenten-chan that you were back . . . that you came back yesterday" she continued, Naruto looked up at her and she could see he wasn't doing well.

"I haven't been avoiding you . . . it's just . . ." Naruto trailed off before going back to looking out over the village, the intense orange glow of the sunset meeting the village in a dazzling display of colour.

"I heard you did some fighting on your last mission" Hinata said as she sat down beside the blonde. Recently she had taken to wearing a thinner jacket that looked almost like the old orange and blue jumpsuit jackets Naruto used to wear, only hers were softer and a cream and lavender colour scheme, she still wore her black shinobi three quarter pants though and her shoulder length hair had grown slightly longer.

"The last fight we had wasn't a fight . . . it was a battle only the battle was completely one sided and there was so many . . ." tears threatened to spill from Naruto's eyes as he recalled the battle while Hinata's own eyes widened in shock and sadness. "I remember the smell . . . Sasuke use flame release jutsu and I remember the smell of the charred corpses . . . dozens of them" Naruto practically whispered "And Sakura . . . she was cutting people's limbs off, arms, legs, heads . . . blood everywhere, body parts everywhere" Naruto said, unable to stop a solitary tear from snaking down his face but Hinata wasn't sure if he even noticed it. "And me . . . I cut people's throats leaving them to drown in their own blood as they tried to breath but only got blood instead . . . or I cut their spinal cord and watched as they dropped like puppets with their strings cut" Naruto recounted, the scene flashing through his eyes. "There was so many . . . hundreds of them that we slaughtered . . . we turned the ground red with blood . . . but that wasn't even the worst part . . . I got knocked out and left Sakura . . . my teammate . . . to fight a jonin level enemy alone" Naruto said quietly, his head in his hands. Hinata closed her eyes and shuffled closer so that she could put her arms around the blonde. She nestled into her embrace, putting her head on his shoulder.

"You did what you had to do and maybe you made a couple of mistakes but you can learn from those mistakes and never make them again" the girl opened her eyes and studied Naruto's face.

"Perhaps" he said after a short pause, his face devoid of emotion. "Thank you Hinata-chan, I needed that I guess . . . now wanna spar?" Naruto said with a grin as he stood up.

"You just want to see me naked" Hinata said with a sigh, knowing full well that the moment was over and hating the fact.

"Can you blame me? You have the biggest boobs in the entire class" Naruto replied, a grin on his face that was a touch too wide. Hinata blushed in response but otherwise held firm.

"W-we need to learn to fight with our c-clothes on . . . the enemy isn't gonna let us strip before a battle" Hinata said, stuttering slightly as her version of a verbal tic since she was embarrassed and slightly flushed that Naruto had definitely been checking her out and comparing her with the other girls of the class. Naruto grinned and the two headed off to a training field to let off some steam.

* * *

Naruto clicked his blade back into his sheath as Sakura and Sasuke returned to his position. They were in a bandit camp on the borders of the land of fire and the land of rice patties.

"This was surprisingly easy" Sakura commented as she surveyed the silent carnage around them. Naruto of course had been given the job of being the centerpiece of their strategy, the Anvil, while Sasuke was the flaming hammer, using his Ninjutsu to take out groups of enemies from a distance before closing in and helping Naruto in Kenjutsu and Taijutsu. Sakura held the unique role of commanding on the battlefield and taking out the people on watch, the girl's speed and stealth were such that she was capable of assassinating anyone that the bandits put on guard duty without anyone even hearing a whisper.

Naruto looked up at the sun that hadn't even reached mid morning yet, they had launched a daylight raid on a well entrenched target and still the bandits never knew what hit them.

"They were just civies . . . no chakra whatsoever" Naruto muttered as a flight of birds flew overhead.

"Well well, that was a perfect raid . . . well done" Kakashi said though the kids got the feeling that his praise was more of an apology that they had to do something like this. Sakura merely shrugged before rubbing her arms. Naruto had to admit that Sakura looked much better with her short hair in her green bodysuit that she was still wearing than when she had long hair.

"It doesn't even really matter" Sakura said as she studied one of the corpses "I feel nothing . . . like they don't matter" she continued before looking up "You know how they are bandits right? It's like they are some form of sub-human . . . generic . . . scum easily murdered"

"So if it were a shinobi or three . . . you might feel something?" Kakashi asked, his eye locked on Sakura's face.

"Kinda I guess . . . I don't know" she replied, looking away.

"I get what you mean . . . it's this power of ours . . . we have always seen civilians as some sort of breed of lesser beings that we need to coddle and cater too because they are too weak and incompetent to do it themselves" Naruto said, still watching the flight of birds. The other three members of his team looked at him.

"I . . . my parents antics always seemed so normal until I was broken out of the mindset of a civilian and adopted that of a shinobi . . . but we haven't quite gotten there yet have we?" Sakura said, posing her question to Kakashi.

"Not quite but you are coming along . . . I believe this is what they call the 'hump' once you are over this . . . it's all different and . . . better" Kakashi said, looking around him. He felt nothing for the lives lost here. He knew it was just business and that if the bandits didn't want to die, they shouldn't have taken to a life of crime, he really didn't care at all for them, it was the loss of his own comrades that troubled him. The three genin nodded at their jonin teacher before turning and leaving the destroyed camp behind, Sakura having already bagged the head of the camp leader in a scroll intended for that exact purpose.

* * *

"You look chipper than usual" Shin commented as Sakura pulled up a stool at the bar she frequents.

"Sensei called it the 'hump'" Sakura replied and Shin nodded in understanding.

"You do realise that most ninja go through the hump during the chunin exams right? That's usually when it clicks for them that this is serious business and they either quit, join the genin corps or become chunin . . . the ones that have to take the exam more than once are the ones that haven't clicked yet" Shin explained as he pulled out a bottle of sake.

"Do you have something more flavoursome than sake?" Sakura asked and attracted odd looks from Shin and several patrons.

"What do you want?" Shin replied, putting the sake back.

"Well, sake is great and all but I don't feel the need to drink myself into a stupor right now . . ." Sakura said, trailing off as she tried to find the words to describe what she wanted.

"I might have something for you" Shin said as he pulled out a bottle and poured a deep maroon liquid into a cup. "It's called wine . . . lots of foreign goods around the place these days and this is one of them . . . apparently popular for its flavour" Shin explained while Sakura took a gentle sip and then another.

"It's kinda sweet with a . . . juicy taste? It's actually kinda nice" Sakura said as she appreciated the drink.

"I'll be sure to keep some for you then . . . also, apparently the drink is best chilled so maybe I'll leave a bottle in the fridge for you" Shin said before turning his attention to another patron and leaving Sakura with the bottle he had pulled out.

* * *

Naruto was enjoying the pleasant morning sun as he walked down one of the lesser streets in Konoha, he was heading for the Higurashi forge to spend the day with Tenten and dearly hoping he didn't run into the two other girls that have invaded his life, though he could definitely handle it if Hinata demanded attention, she was worth it.

Naruto was pulled out of his contemplations of the three females in his life by way of Sasuke jumping out of a second story window and lightly landing on the street only a meter or two from Naruto. Naruto looked back at the window Sasuke had fled through and noticed a girl, clothed in only a sheet, shutting the window and blinds.

"Yo . . . nice day for a morning escape eh?" Naruto greeted Sasuke, an amused grin on his face while Sasuke merely gave a slight smirk.

"She's a ninja" Sasuke said as if trying to justify himself. Naruto raised his eyebrow at Sasuke's self-justification. "One of my former fan girls . . . I still have several in my cult following but it seems their numbers are dropping" Sasuke continued.

"So she is one that sorta moved on rather than actually moving on" Naruto said, hoping that Sasuke would clarify himself.

"Yeah . . . the ones that got over their fangirl nature still think I'm attractive . . . and are far more likely to accept some casual entertainment with no strings attached" Sasuke said, turning his head away and looking intently at the ground. Naruto snorted in amusement as he continued walking, noticing that Sasuke had opted to keep in step.

"So it's someone from class then? I thought only nine of us graduated properly and that girl wasn't part of that group" Naruto said as the two walked.

"Apparently there is also the genin corps . . . genin who fail the team exams can opt to repeat the year or join the genin corps . . . Ami decided to join the genin corps" Sasuke explained while Naruto nodded in understanding.

"Ami wouldn't have made a good ninja anyway . . . nice to know she understood that it was a waste of resources" Naruto said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, she apparently now spends the days running messages between the various departments in the tower and apparently there is ground for promotion there" Sasuke replied and Naruto looked at him.

"Promotion?" Naruto asked, slightly incredulous "Why would they promote someone from the genin corps?" Naruto shook his head.

"It's intelligence . . . I highly doubt they get a lot of the frontline ninja . . . someone's gotta staff the desks . . . and you think that secretary that sits out front of the Hokage's office was someone who went on missions before she became a chunin?" Sasuke answered.

"I'm sure a lot of chunin decided that field work isn't for them and tokubetsu jonin are there because a ninja decided they preferred doing something that isn't combat" Naruto replied.

The two young shinobi arrived at a crossroads and Sasuke separated from Naruto leaving the blonde to continue his journey to the Higurashi weapon shop to hang with Tenten.

* * *

Hinata was lying on her bed, a dark green covered book in her hands and her clothes on the floor. Ever since she had started training with Minori, she had taken to enjoy some time without clothing, it was relaxing and in the comfort of her room, nobody cared. That was one thing about the Hyuuga clan that most people didn't know, their deepest and darkest secret . . . the Byakugan could see through clothes and Hyuuga people tended to enjoy the view a bit too much. This all meant that nobody batted an eyelash if Hinata was fully clothed in her room or not, her father had even seen her naked multiple times, it was only when leaving her room that she had to wear clothes.

Of course, the book that Hinata was getting lost in probably wasn't one she should have been getting lost in while at home with a bunch of perverts that could see through walls. Hinata paused in her reading, wishing that Naruto would enact the scene she had just read to her. This of course led to Hinata's active imagination quickly drawing her into a fantasy involving Naruto and the girl allowed herself to enjoy that fantasy for a good three quarts of an hour. A few minutes after she had snapped out of her little daydream, her father entered her room, looking at her with an impassive expression as always.

"Father" Hinata greeted as she put her book on her end table next to her bed.

"Must you always be so . . ." Hiashi began before stopping himself, Hinata gave her father an amused look.

"You see me naked all the time father . . . you shouldn't have walked into my room if you didn't want to see" Hinata said.

"I am aware of that . . . I was referring to what you were doing shortly before my arrival" Hiashi replied and Hinata went beat red. "You forget that I frequently turn my Byakugan on to ensure the safety of all the members of my clan . . . I didn't need to know that my daughter has began . . . entertaining herself" Hinata was embarrassed but she knew that this would occur eventually.

"D-did you need something father?" Hinata asked, a slight stutter in her voice in light of her current embarrassment.

"The elders have called a meeting and you are coming with me as clan heiress so get dressed . . . and wear undergarments this time" Hiashi said, his last comment was a reference to the fact that Hinata hadn't been wearing any underwear the last time she met with the elders, this led to one of the male elders to desperately hold in a nosebleed.

"Some of those elders seem to think that they are the only ones that know they can use the Byakugan to see through clothes and walls and what not" Hinata commented lightly before activating her byakugan for a hot second and deactivating it with a grin.

"Just get dressed before we are late . . . we would have had more time but I'm not walking in on your fantasies" Hiashi said, causing Hinata to giggle lightly before she moved over to put on an outfit. Since she was acting as the clan heiress, Hinata decided to wear a kimono that looked almost exactly the same as her father's save the fact that her jacket was lavender instead of Hiashi's brown and instead of being able to see bare chest, she had a mesh shirt on.

"I will never understand why Kunoichi love their mesh shirts so much" Hiashi commented as he took in his daughter's appearance, with her hair getting longer she was starting to become a mirror image of Hiashi.

"The are made of a ballistic weave that is both tight and flexible . . . it moves with me while keeping everything together" Hinata explained but Hiashi still wasn't convinced. "They work just as good as bras, actually provide some protection against blows and don't restrict my movement or breathing like a bra might" Hinata said and Hiashi finally understood.

"That makes perfect sense now" he said as the two began walking to the council chambers. They were almost there when Hiashi suddenly stopped and looked at Hinata "I didn't see you put on any underpants" he said seriously and Hinata just giggled before opening the sliding door and walking in, Hiashi could only sigh in frustration at his daughter "She is just like her mother . . . let's hope she doesn't corrupt Hanabi as well" he said under his breath before entering the council chambers himself.

* * *

 **Alrighty then, we come to the end of another chapter . . . If any of you feel like I'm being too . . . sexual with any of the characters feel free to let me know, also, if Yuri isn't your thing, don't worry, I won't be focusing on the relationship details with any of the characters . . . just a few mentions here and there and maybe some slice of life stuff occasionally. so after this i'd definitely like to hear opinions of the content and direction, I am worried that it's not up to tastes and I need to rein in the "Adult Content" more than I already am . . . it's not easy for me . . . I'm an erotic fiction writer . . . one that specializes in sci-fi . . . which reminds me . . . I haven't written anything erotic in some time . . . anyway, that's not your problem since FF.n has strict rules saying no good stuff allowed! and I hope I am still adhering to that . . . sorta . . . kinda . . . the main reason i'm not putting any lemons in is cause they are against the code of conduct for this site.**

 **anyway, let me know what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Greetings everyone! it's been a few months since last time i updated . . . heh . . . well . . . i'll get around to explaining why in just a sec but first i'd like to mention that i come with the gift of a rather long chapter! the chapter comes in at 26 pages for 9995 words exactly . . . almost made me go and put five words in somewhere just to make it an even 10K . . . still trying hard to resist the temptation.**

 **now for the explanation on why it took me so long to write a chapter, skip if you don't care, I won't be offended, really, it's not that interesting to most people i've met. in anycase, I have ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder . . . it's annoying because I get distracted really easy . . . that combined with the fact i have Chronic Depression . . . i think that's it's official name . . . this means that the juices in my head are a little off kilter and make me feel symptoms similar to depression, easily beat with meds but meds don't work for me so I have to deal with it . . . oh well, i am actually dealing with it . . . sorta. a lot has happened since the start of the year, I won't bore you with the details but . . . a lot has happened. can't promise my updates will be more frequent but i can promise there will be updates . . . eventually.**

 **now that that is out of the way, I hope you enjoy this extra large chapter . . . you will probably notice the difference from where i've left it and come back a month or two later and couldn't remember what i was writing at the time . . . that happened once . . . i wrote a filler scene that got me back on track . . . so random filler scene is random but hey, it's content . . . i liked it, i'm keeping it!**

 **in anycase, i hope you all enjoy, see you at the bottom!**

* * *

 **Part 15**

"When you have hovered between life and death so many times that it doesn't phase you anymore . . . then you may call yourself a ninja. When you have become so deadly that your profile is entered into my bingo book . . . then you may have earned the title . . . ninja" Zabuza said as he held one hand up in a half ram sign and the other hand held the water prison that Kakashi was caught in. Zabuza was about to thicken the mist until he disappeared completely but he saw the deadpan expressions of the three young upstart brats that Kakashi had brought along with him.

"Really sensei?" the pink haired girl asked "are we really doing this again? I mean . . . last time you had the excuse of coming up against an unknown jutsu that was apparently custom made to fight sharingan users . . . but this time?" the girl questioned, the note of exasperation in her voice very clear.

"So what's the plan captain?" The blonde asked, directing his question to the pink haired girl. Zabuza frowned, he had heard something about a pink haired girl but he couldn't remember, he was starting to regret not checking the newly updated bingo book before starting this mission.

"You haven't checked the bingo book in a while have you?" The pink haired girl asked him, clearly she was in it but was probably only a D-rank or a C-rank, it almost amused him that she was trying to toot her own horn to the sound of such a low ranking.

"Doesn't matter, anyone who dyes their hair that colour is asking to be killed" Zabuza replied and all three of the children sighed. The girl looked at the old man behind her and then back to Zabuza.

"Well, since the old man lied, I don't really care if he dies or not, our priority is Kakashi-sensei" the girl said and the other two nodded "Right, Sasuke, Naruto . . . jutsu if you please" she added and the two boys casually stepped forward before running through some hand signs. Zabuza's water clone took up position in front of him so as to intercept any feeble jutsu these genin could unleash but was surprised when, half a second later, a fireball was launched towards him. Zabuza had a moment to admire the brat that casted that jutsu before he noticed the jutsu casted by the other brat, a wind jutsu, and how that jutsu picked up the fire ball and turned it into a flaming bomb of unparalleled destruction. The water clone was quite literally vapourised and Zabuza was forced to leap out of the way, catching the edge of the jutsu anyway. It was small wonder why the brats were so confidant.

Zabuza recollected his thoughts enough to notice that the pink haired girl was standing across from him, her unusual katana in her hands and held in a diagonal cross body guard. He also noticed her killing intent which was sucking the warmth out of him.

"I shall be your opponent for now" the girl said and finally it clicked for Zabuza, he had seen her name and dismissed it since no bounty was posted be she was, in fact, in his bingo book.

"Haruno Sakura the Ice Blade of Konoha . . . A-rank . . . approach with caution" Zabuza said with a smirk, not that anyone could see it. If Zabuza had bothered to read her bingo book entry, he might have been worried about the fact that it was getting colder from just her killing intent but he hadn't. Zabuza ran at Sakura with his blade out and flashing but Sakura merely ducked under the swipe and brought her own sword across in attempt to hamstring him. Zabuza leaped forward and twisted around, bringing his sword down onto Sakura where it met her sword and was redirected into the water, stopping the moment of the blade and preventing him from chaining strikes. The girl lunged forward in an attempt to take his head off with the sharpened back end of her sword which Zabuza countered by taking bounding step backwards and bringing his sword up in front of him to catch the blow. A loud clang sounded out across the clearing as edge met edge and neither sword chipped. This surprised Zabuza as the seven swords of the mist were famous for being unbeatable and yet this girl's double edged katana was able to take the blade edge to edge and suffer no damage.

Zabuza was also tracking the fact that as the fight went on it was getting progressively colder, he already noticed the fact that the girl's chakra was turning the water to ice in it's attempt to keep her own it but now his own was doing the same. Zabuza jumped backwards far enough that it would give him an opening to cast jutsu, he had already figured her weakness would be jutsu since she had ordered the other two to do it for her but his view of the pink haired girl was obstructed by Hatake Kakashi who was looking a slight more livid than he was before, this lead to Kakashi copying his water dragon jutsu.

Sakura sighed as she carried the unconscious form of her sensei over her shoulders while Tazuna led them to his house.

* * *

"What that man said back there . . . about you being famous" Tazuna asked Sakura who looked at him and sighed again.

"I'm not really famous . . . someone just noted that I'm something of a threat up close and personal" Sakura replied.

"She's famous for killing a badass war veteran from Suna . . . they weren't too happy but since he was a missing-nin, they couldn't put a bounty on her" Naruto replied with a grin. Sakura wanted to strangle him, laughing at her when all he did was cast one wind jutsu, unseal a table and sip hot tea with Sasuke while she was fighting to the death with an A-ranked missing-nin who had actually earned his ranking. Speaking of Naruto and Sasuke, Sasuke had decided he'd had enough practice with his ninjato to start wearing it out on missions and so now he could freak out all the clients with his "sentient sword" schtick.

"Shut up idiot, at least I do something on this squad" Sakura shot back causing Naruto to chuckle.

"My sword didn't want to fight" Sasuke said in his usual monotone while glancing away.

"Awwww poor Sasuke can't get it up" Naruto immediately countered and even Sakura laughed at that. Sasuke bristled and it's what made it so amusing.

"Shut up dobe" came the retort . . . it only made Sakura and Naruto giggle more. It was funny because Sasuke was the most sexually active and was also the most sensitive to inadequacy jokes.

"Hey Sasuke, I heard about you and Ami . . . if you're . . . you know . . . how come you didn't go out with any of the girls in class?" Sakura questioned, casting a glance at the boy in question.

"None of you were worth it back then" Sasuke replied, causing both Naruto and Sakura to nod in agreement

"Fair enough" Sakura replied.

"Isn't that a bit rude?" Tazuna asked, casting a glance at the children behind him.

"Not really . . . almost all the girls in the class were all Sasuke this Sasuke that oooooh Sasuke!" Sakura answered "we even grew our hair out because of a rumor that Sasuke likes long hair!" she added "I hate long hair . . . well . . . I hate long hair on me . . . on other people it's fiiiiiiiine" she continued, getting a wistful look on her face.

"Oh yeah! That's right! You're having sex with Ino these days aren't you?" Naruto said, turning to look at the pinkett. Sasuke also turned as this was news to him.

"W-well . . . once . . . that was once and I was very drunk . . . but she kinda is my girlfriend these days so . . . yeah" Sakura replied.

"How old are you three again?" Tazuna asked, unable to believe that twelve year olds were drinking and having sex like it's an everyday occurance.

"We age one year for every person we kill" Sakura answered in a monotone. "At least . . . that's what they say . . . if it were true, I'd have died of old age months ago" she added and the other two nodded and Tazuna suddenly felt really sad and slightly afraid . . . children who have killed so many more people than they have years left to live.

"We are almost there . . . we have a room you can put your sensei in" Tazuna said as he turned away and stared straight ahead.

* * *

"So, any problems?" Kakashi asked, he was sitting up on the futon he had been sleeping in and was holding a bowl of soup.

"Inari's a little shit with a pity problem" Naruto added helpfully

"That's the client's grandson . . . actually might be a problem . . . he is so convinced Gato is going to win that it's entirely possible he will try and hinder our mission to prove himself right" Sakura commented "but other than that, Zabuza is probably still alive, the masked hunter is likely a fake and you are getting an ear bashing from you know who when we get back" she added. Kakashi sighed as he realised all this was going on report and him getting a major case of chakra exhaustion would not be received kindly by Minori.

"It takes a lot of chakra to be able to breath in a water prison jutsu" Kakashi replied "So what are we looking in terms of opposition? Just Zabuza and his accomplice?"

"That's all the info we have on shinobi forces, Gato does have his own private army however and has been using the island to train and equip them out of sight from any of the major powers on the mainland" Sasuke reported, his method of gathering that information had left a girl of questionable age very happy and a man that intended to rape her very unhappy . . . and also very talkative. "Seems our friends from wind have set up an establishment here too . . . outfitted differently though"

"I see you are up" Tazuna noted as he walked into the room that Team Seven was occupying "We shouldn't have much of a problem now that Zabuza is dead" he added

"Zabuza isn't dead" Naruto commented, giving Tazuna a sidelong glance.

"What?! But that hunter-nin?" came the exclamation from the aging bridge builder.

"Yes, the hunter-nin . . . used senbon to the neck . . . that's not an instant kill point but you can put a person in a near death-like state that could fool some basic methods of detecting life signs" Sasuke commented, making the rest of the team look at him with odd expressions. "What? Medical Ninjutsu is a form of Ninjutsu and it was decided I'd be the Ninjutsu specialist" Sasuke said in explanation.

"We didn't expect you to go above and beyond the call of duty like that" Naruto said for his team and both Kakashi and Sakura nodded in affirmative.

"Well . . . either way, Zabuza is still alive so we are going to need to make sure we are ready for when he does . . . make sure there is a good watch going for the bridge and the house, I'd recommend having someone on rest so they can jump straight into a battle as soon as it's needed" Kakashi instructed and his three genin nodded. Kakashi had a moment to notice that all three of them had become quite the hardened soldiers in his brief few months with them, their swords on full display and their wary, alert gazes keeping everything of importance in view. Kakashi almost felt bad that these children might be approaching his own levels at their age and he could definitely see the behavioural changes as well. "Naruto . . . did you see the scar on Zabuza's chest?" Kakashi asked and Naruto dropped his head down, closing his eyes.

"Yes" was the very quiet reply, the manner in which Naruto replied answering kakashi's follow-up question.

"It looked like a sword cut . . . what's special about it?" Sasuke asked as both he and Sakura turned their attention to the blonde.

"The cut was unmistakably made using a Yadokawa blade" Naruto answered, his voice very quiet. "Which means that someone drew their sword to fight him . . . Yadokawa family traditions dictate that if you draw your blade, you must kill . . . either your enemy . . . or yourself" Naruto said, forestalling Sasuke's question.

"What does that mean? There are other Yadokawa around? I thought you and Minori were the only two" Sakura asked, her mind already drawing the likely conclusion to this story.

"He was there . . . the night my clan was destroyed" that one sentence slammed into Sasuke hard as he realised just what Naruto would be going through. "He wasn't alone in that battle of course . . . no one Kiri-nin would have been able to destroy the clan . . . but he was there . . . and on the side of the enemy" Naruto explained

"If I remember correctly, the battle between Kiri and the Yadokawa clan was what caused them to withdraw from the war . . . we barely even fought them actually, just a small . . . excursion but that was it" Kakashi commented and Sasuke and Sakura nodded.

"Are you going to be alright?" Sakura asked, putting a hand on Naruto's arm to comfort him.

"It's not like I knew anyone who died" Naruto replied, resisting the urge to shrug Sakura's arm off.

"Well . . . we should get ready for a hard few weeks . . . even if we don't end up fighting Zabuza, those civilian soldiers will be problem and this time we haven't got a suna team to trick into being our backup" Kakashi said causing the three to nod, get up and leave the room. "Great . . . now that they are gone" Kakashi said before pulling out a little green book "I can catch up on some reading" he added before giggling at some form of raunchy content.

* * *

Naruto sat on the roof of the Tazuna's house staring in the direction of a nearby forest. The sun had only just poked its head above the horizon and the Fuinjutsu sensor net he had set up in a wide bubble around the perimeter had been tripped. Summoning a team of five clones, Naruto got up and quietly left to investigate, the clones would continue his watch in his stead.

Once he arrived at the location, he noticed a girl, maybe his age, possibly a couple years older, picking out distinctive plants. The girl had long jet black hair and was outfitted in a pink kimono that somehow managed to stay clean despite her getting on her knees to gracefully pick the herbs she was after. This rubbed Naruto wrong for several factors. One, if the village people actually came here to pick herbs, they would have picked them all by know due to the scarcity of anything. Two, that girl's kimono looked far too clean and valuable for anyone from this island, even Tazuna, one of the wealthiest people in Wave, had to wear worn clothing. And last reason was that Sasuke had gone out and grabbed a few of those plants himself, stating that they were useful for someone that's just done damage to their muscles and chakra network.

"Who are you?" Naruto called out from his place on one of the tree branches, his arms folded. The girl was on her feet in a flash and the look in her eye said 'oh no, I've been found' but only for an instant before schooling into startled surprise. Still, the look was there long enough for a ninja to notice.

"Uh, Haku . . . sorry, I'm afraid you frightened me" The girl said in a soft, smooth voice like silk in the breeze. Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Are you . . . are you a ninja?" Haku asked, the obvious attempt at gathering information almost made Naruto laugh.

"Yes, I'm currently protecting the man who lives nearby . . . you have trespassed into the zone of control of my team, state your allegiance" Naruto replied, invoking the relatively new concept of 'zone of control' which was created at the end of the third shinobi war in which a shinobi team on duty would have a zone of control around their mission, if your mission interfered with a mission from another nation but didn't directly oppose it, you could just declare your allegiance and announce you weren't an enemy. As far as Naruto knew, it wasn't being used all that often due to the inherent risk of letting your guard down around allies, still, he had invoked it and the girl was clearly a ninja.

"I'm just a girl from the village" Haku said with a frown as if she was confused, this didn't bode well for Naruto who pulled out a kunai.

"State your allegiance or be declared enemy" Naruto commanded, getting ready to flare his chakra.

"Please! I'm just here to gather herbs for a friend!" Haku said, trying to look as innocent as possible. It struck Naruto that she didn't know what he was doing, she didn't know about the zone of control thing. "Do you have anyone precious you would die to protect?" Haku asked out of the blue. Naruto said nothing but watched her intently, ready to move if she attacked. "Only when you have a precious person to protect do you truly become strong" she continued "I have someone like that . . . they need this medicine" so that was her game, she wanted to use a pity pull to make Naruto let her go. It also clicked then that she was the fake hunter-nin that swooped in to save Zabuza.

"You're Zabuza's accomplis aren't you" Naruto said, it wasn't a question but rather a statement. Haku merely smiled.

"Are you going to kill me shinobi-san?" Haku asked and Naruto was struck by an intense desire to not do that

"I should, you had to know you were wandering into an area defended by shinobi" Naruto replied.

"I needed herbs and the ones I need only grow here" Haku replied still standing in the middle of the clearing.

"Why are you so devoted to Zabuza anyway?" Naruto asked with a sigh.

"He rescued me from the streets" was the simple reply, Haku hadn't changed her expression at all as she said this but Naruto's eyes shot up in surprise.

"So you are an orphan and he was your nee-chan" Naruto said softly, Haku almost didn't here him at all. "Why were you on the streets? What happened to your parents?" he asked after a moment.

"My . . . my mother had a bloodline that she passed on to me" Haku dropped off and looked away, staring at the pretty green grass. Again Naruto was shocked to his core.

"You're from Kiri aren't you?" he asked and that got a reaction out of Haku. "your father found out, tried to kill you and your mother but she kill him and died of her own wounds" Naruto surmised.

"You are partially correct . . . my mother didn't kill my father . . . he and the villagers he rounded up killed her first . . . I used my power without meaning to and killed everyone" Haku said having returned to staring at the ground.

"I'm a Yadokawa . . . do you know what that means?" Naruto asked the girl, she shook her head. "Zabuza was there the night that Kiri turned on my clan . . . there are only two of us left . . . me and my sister . . . she adopted me . . . I was practically on the streets myself . . . I grew up in the hidden leaf village but because of . . . circumstances, the villagers hated me . . . I had a house but it was safer and warmer to live on the streets come winter" Naruto recounted, casting his eyes downward. "If it hadn't been for Nee-chan . . . I don't think I'd have survived the winter" Naruto took a long look into Haku's eyes as she did the same for him, they were both orphans from the street and that natural orphan desire to band together for protection and safety was weighing heavily on both of them, despite having been forgotten for so long.

"You said Zabuza was there the night your clan was destroyed?" Haku finally asked.

"The scar on his chest is the proof . . . he wasn't just there, he was the enemy . . . I'm afraid I must kill him for the honor of those that died" Naruto said forlornly as he knew that meant he would likely have to kill Haku as well. For her part, Haku looked down as she realised this too, but then she looked up at Naruto.

"Even with these herbs, we have a week before Zabuza can hope to challenge you again" Haku said, seemingly like she was going somewhere "Would you mind if I returned to . . . gather herbs?" she asked and Naruto already saw what she was getting to . . . she wanted someone like her to talk to for the first time in her life, even if it was just for a short time.

"I really should just kill you know . . ." Naruto said before putting his kunai away and dropping into the clearing. "Let me help" he added before walking towards her. Haku got a faint smile on her face before kneeling and picking out some herbs.

* * *

"You were out for a while" Sakura casually said to Naruto as she stirred a pot of soup that had been made from Konoha rations that they had brought. Naruto had just walked back in after spending a good chunk of the morning with Haku.

"Had to check on something . . . got caught up with it though" Naruto said vaguely. "What are you doing here? Isn't Tazuna supposed to be heading to the bridge by now?" he asked.

"I'm on rest duty . . . Sasuke got the honor of guarding the client and you are guarding the family so I'm chilling with Sensei for today until tomorrow when I take over from you on family guard duty" Sakura said, filling him in on the team assignments.

"Speaking of Sensei . . . how is he doing?" Naruto asked as he sat at the table and waited patiently for the food to be ready. Sakura shrugged.

"I'm not a medic . . . Sasuke said that he should be up and running at reasonable efficiency by the end of the week so long as he doesn't try any more water jutsu" Sakura stopped tending the soup and stared at the ceiling speculatively "I honestly never expected Sasuke to start studying medicine just because we assigned him the role of ninjutsu specialist"

"It is surprising isn't it" Naruto replied just at Tsunami walked into the room.

"Oh, you two have already prepared lunch?" Tsunami asked, looking at Sakura in surprised.

"I have nothing better to do at the moment" Sakura replied and Naruto was still technically watching the house, his clones were still in place after all. Shortly after saying this, Sakura poured the soup into four bowls and sat three on the table while Naruto spawned a clone and had it run the last bowl of soup up to Kakashi.

"Inari! Food's ready!" Tsunami called out to the little boy while Sakura and Naruto winced. "He really isn't that bad once you get to know him . . . he's just a little troubled is all" Tsunami said in defence of her son. Naruto and Sakura gave the woman deadpan stares right up until Inari came down, grabbed a bowl and then left again, only pausing long enough to glare at Naruto and Sakura.

* * *

"You took longer than expected" came Zabuza's weary voice.

"I know . . . I ran into one of the Konoha shinobi who was on patrol . . . he said something odd about 'zone of control' when he saw me and didn't buy that I was a civilian" Haku replied, she had changed back into her normal battle kimono and was kneeling in front of Zabuza who sighed when he heard Haku's account.

"He had identified you as a shinobi and was demanding to know if you were friend of foe . . . I suppose you could be forgiven for not knowing that since I would have needed to teach you but it's usually something that applies to village shinobi and not missing-nin like me or homeless-nin like yourself" Zabuza explained "How did you get away from him?" he asked before turning to look at the kneeling girl who blushed in response and looked away.

"I didn't" was all the answer she gave though it was enough for Zabuza who turned his head so the girl wouldn't see the flash of sadness run through his eyes.

"You are too soft Haku" Zabuza said softly though the girl will never know that he meant that as a compliment and wished she would never hold a weapon in her life.

"Forgive me . . . it might also be worth noting that the shinobi was from the Yadokawa clan" Haku said and Zabuza nearly snapped his neck with how hard he brought his gaze down upon the kneeling girl.

"What did you just say?" he hissed out.

"The boy is a Yadokawa . . . he has the bloodline to match" Haku said, holding her position and not even flinching at the intensity of Zabuza's gaze, all the while memories flashed through the man's head, memories he desperately wished he could go back and fix.

* * *

"Whoa Hinata!" Kiba called out, drool hanging from his mouth to match the perverted look. Hinata and her team were out of the village on a simple courier mission to one of the border stations and had stopped for the night, this had lead to Hinata Exiting her room in less than modest dress. The Heiress looked down and noticed the fact that her breasts were kept from view by nothing more than a hand of fabric that she was using as a binding and her bottom half consisted of panties mostly there for practicality, both of which left practically nothing to the imagination. Hinata sighed, stepped back into her room, spent a minute getting dressed and then came out in her standard skin tight black three quarter pants with a hyuga kimono shirt slightly exposing her chest but not enough to give anyone a view. Kiba was still staring at the poor girl with a perverted expression.

"Have you no shame Hinata?" Kurenai asked as she sipped a cup of tea. Hinata merely returned a flat expression.

"Not especially no . . . I was trained out of my modesty years ago" she said as she sat at the table the team had been sitting around. Shino had said nothing however and Hinata was very well aware of the fact that he had been enjoying the view as much as Kiba but was far more polite about it and thus hadn't made any comments.

"What would your family say to your lack of modesty?" Kurenai tried again, she was desperately trying to instill some proper feminine values in the heiress while drilling the two boys on their place but so far she had been met with resistance at every turn.

"I'm a Hyuuga . . . we see through clothes every time we use the Byakugan" Hinata replied instantly making Kiba drool some more while Kurenai stifled a blush. Kurenai took another sip of her tea before sighing, it really was a lost cause with these three, Hinata was an exhabitionist, Shino was a pervert and Kiba was a horn dog.

"How are you doing Hinata?" was Shino's first words of the day, he was referencing the previous day's incident where some bandits had found the three genin alone and had decided to take Hinata as a 'bed pet' as they had put it. Hinata had promptly responded by unleashing rapid fire hand strikes that burnt the flesh of the bandits with each hit, they were all dead before they hit the ground.

"I'm fine Shino, thank you for asking" nobody missed the cold emotionless tint to Hinata's voice as she responded, the poor girl had even refused to look at the meat that Kiba had served for dinner for him and the other three members of the team, supplying Hinata with rice and Tofu instead.

"I'll bet team seven hasn't gotten anything anywhere near as good as we've gotten" Kiba boasted loudly with his typical wolfish grin.

"You would be correct Kiba" came Hinata's emotionless voice again and this brought the attention of the others. "They haven't had anything nearly as good as us" she added and Kurenai winced, she knew that Team seven was being used to hunt down bandits and the like, they were probably approaching chunin level body counts if they hadn't already passed them months ago.

"Kiba, team seven is a frontline combat squad . . ." Kurenai said, letting the rest of the sentence hang there for him to pick up. He did and did so with a gulping sound and with the blood draining from his face.

"H-how long until we do that sort of thing?" Kiba asked, turning to their jounin sensei.

"This is a tracking squad, not a combat squad" was Kurenai's answer, nobody missed the fact that she didn't actually answer the question. "It seems my style of being a ninja isn't working out for you three so when we get back, I'm going to have a good friend of mine give you all a talking to and maybe a lesson" Kurenai added before going back to her tea.

* * *

Sakura laughed as Naruto regaled the room with a tale of what happened to a particularly mean shopkeeper that he had pranked a couple years ago. The team had assembled with the client's family over some dinner and most of them were in good spirits, a certain boy however had finally come to the end of his patience.

"Why?" came the quiet question from the boy, drawing the team's attention. "Why are you even still here! Nobody wants you to stick your nose where it doesn't belong!" Inari shouted, accentuating this by slamming his fist against the table "There is nothing for you to do here! The weak can't beat the truly strong no matter what cool things they say!" Inari was screaming at the top of his lungs at this point.

"Shut up . . . we aren't like you" Naruto said calmly, barely even paying a moment to glance in Inari's direction

"SHUT UP!" Inari screamed "You make me sick! You're always laughing, you don't know anything about this land, you don't know anything about suffering! All of you don't! All too busy laughing behind your cosy walls, you haven't had a single thing go wrong in your entire lives!" as Inari finished, he, Tazuna and Tsunami became very aware of the cold look that the Konoha team was giving the boy.

"We aren't like you" Naruto repeated in a voice cold as ice before Sakura cut in.

"We aren't mere faceless civilians who mope around in their daily lives living or dying beneath our notice" She said, her voice the exact same temperature as Naruto's. The three civilians got a cold chill run down their spines.

"How many ninja does Gato have under his command?" Sasuke asked. He waited a few moments and no response came. "How many jutsu does he know? How many forms of Taijutsu and Kenjutsu has he mastered?" he asked and again, no response.

"At the age of six, I was forced to live on the street during winter because it was warmer there than in my own home . . . intruders had smashed all my windows of my apartment on the top floor of my building" Naruto recounted and Tsunami shivered just thinking about it while Inari fell into his chair.

"My clan was wiped out . . . dead . . . every last one of them aside from me killed in the night, their blood running in the streets and through the power of Genjutsu, I was made to watch it happen again and again and again" Sasuke added, neither three of the genin had even blinked in all this time.

"They say you age one year for each life you have taken . . . if that were true, we'd have died of old age months ago" Sakura chimed in, "We have murdered people, taken the lives of those who once held families, daughters perhaps? Sons? Fatherless now" Inari was shaking and then, Naruto bopped Sakura on the head and the heat returned to the room in a sudden flash, the three genin going back to happy smiles, only Kakashi saw that their eyes held the weight of all they had experienced.

* * *

"Naruto, are you sure that Zabuza is going to attack today?" Sakura asked as she, Naruto and Kakashi strode towards the bridge at Tazuna's walking pace.

"I'm not one hundred percent but I'm fairly positive" Naruto replied, activating his bloodline now that he was in visual sight of the bridge.

"We should send a clone back to Sasuke and get him here" Sakura said, looking over her shoulder in the direction of where they had come from.

"Gato will most likely send some of his men to grab hostages in case Zabuza failed and leaving clones isn't an option because of the bandits being trained for who know how long" Kakashi said, still looking nonchalant about the deal, both Naruto and Sakura noticed him scanning the area with his one eye instead of reading the bright red book in his hand.

"Do we have exact numbers on Gato's army?" Sakura asked and Naruto shook his head

"Best we got is a couple hundred maybe but I wouldn't trust a civilian to count my tools let alone the enemy's numbers" Naruto replied. The reason for him activating his bloodline was that while the bridge was visible, everything on it wasn't and there wasn't enough fog around it to warrant the poor visibility. "Yep . . . the bridge crew are all knocked out cold . . . personally would have killed them but it's nice the clan killer had the heart to spare the unimportant" Naruto added, a wave of knowledge from a clone squad he had sent ahead coming back to him.

"They are important! You keep going on about how we are nothing to you and yet you are here helping anyway" Tazuna growled, finally losing his patience.

"I'd be remembering who lied about their mission request rather fast if I were you Tazuna, we only stayed and stuck with the mission because of the payout" Sakura snapped back.

"What payout? I can't afford to give you more than a C-rank mission" Tazuna replied, suddenly worried he might be trading one tyrant for another. The reply he got didn't make him feel any better as his only response was Sakura turning and smiling sweetly at him, it sent shivers up his spine.

Finally catching up with the clone squad, the team and Tazuna first noticed the bodies lying around with only Naruto's word that they were alright.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us" Came the disembodied voice of Zabuza as suddenly ten water clones appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the group. "Last chance to hand over the old man" Zabuza offered.

"I'm not sure what Kiri's mission policy was back in your day Zabuza but Konoha's has and always will be victory or death" Kakashi casually stated, he wasn't being entirely truthful because there had been several missions where the team had returned but had failed, this was all moot though and Zabuza just laughed. "Naruto" Kakashi commanded and suddenly ten shadow clones appeared out of the fog, swords raised and swinging, taking all ten of the Zabuza clones out in one strike before dispersing back into the fog.

"Well well well, we got a quick one don't we Haku" Zabuza praised, nobody missed Naruto stiffening or the clipped response of Haku

"Hai" was all the now revealed masked hunter-nin said as she and Zabuza merged out of the fog. "Allow me to take the two genin master" came the smooth but emotionless voice of Haku. for his part Zabuza looked down at the girl and noticed that her eyes were solely on Naruto.

"I can handle Kakashi and the girl, you take the blond brat, he's a Yadokawa . . . don't let him get time to stop and make seals" Zabuza ordered and Haku merely nodded before zooming off in a flash of speed only to be met by Naruto's kunai in mid air. A clacking sound was heard as kunai met senbon and the two shinobi broke apart before landing opposite each other

"Stand aside Naruto . . . I do not wish to kill you" Haku said, drawing the attention of the other three by the hunter's use of Naruto's name.

"You know what has to happen Haku . . . I must avenge my fallen clansman" Naruto replied and the two just stared at each other for a bit before moving simultaneously at full pace speed at each other, meeting each other in the middle, kunai to senbon again. While they did this, Sakura and Kakashi had moved on to engage Zabuza but Naruto's attention was on Haku and hers was on him.

"Please Naruto . . . they are dead but you are still alive, don't make me kill you" Haku asked and Naruto could definitely hear her struggling not to let emotion colour her voice.

"I don't want to kill you either, but I'm not stupid enough to think you'd betray Zabuza for me . . . still . . . let me do this Haku . . . let me end this and neither of us have to die" Naruto replied, further talk was halted as the two made another dash for each other before breaking apart again.

"I can't Naruto . . . Zabuza is everything to me" she said and dashed forward, letting Naruto's kunai stop her senbon from plunging into his neck and holding her there, if he moved, she would strike and if she moved he would strike, they were seemingly at an impasse. "I have two advantages over you" Haku said "First is that I have prepared the field before hand" Naruto was keenly aware of all the puddles those water clones had made, he blamed the poor drainage on the bridge. "Two is that I have disabled one of your hands" she continued and before Naruto could get a word in, she began making one handed signs, in just a second, a group of ice senbon were hovering over his head in a position to strike him. The needles launched and slammed into Naruto's body who hadn't moved, each one hitting a non-lethal point with pinpoint accuracy however, Naruto burst into smoke.

"I'm sorry but I have also prepared the field and it takes a lot more than that to disable me" Naruto retorted as the two then began another high paced duel, kunai to senbon only disrupted by the occasional burst of ice needles being blasted out of the way by a burst of wind or a clone being dispersed by an attack that should have hit Naruto.

* * *

Haku and Naruto stood opposite each other again, they were in their own little corner of the battlefield, locked away by the fog that had increased since they had broken off.

"Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei are more than enough to deal with Zabuza . . . you must know this" Naruto stated in the hopes of getting through to the girl by pointing out that she had let herself be cut off from Zabuza and was making no move to reconnect.

"Then I shall just have to deal with you quickly and rejoin him" Haku announced before making a series of hand signs and suddenly mirrors of ice formed out of the water on the bridge and created a dome of reflections around Naruto. "I'm sorry but this is where it must end, if I have to, I will kill my own heart and become a true ninja" Haku announced before stepping back into a mirror and merging with it, suddenly all the mirrors had reflections of Haku in them. The fact that Haku had basically called him her heart wasn't lost on Naruto but he was aware of the situation and focused on his bloodline, using it to sense where the next attack would come from.

Naruto spun around just in time to block a cluster of senbon, deflecting all of them with precision before spinning on his heel and deflecting another cluster.

"Please Naruto . . . please just stand down and let Zabuza accomplish his mission" this time Haku wasn't able to keep the emotion from her voice and her pleas sounded desperate.

"You know I can't do that" Naruto replied, his eyes closed not that it worsened his combat ability since he was using his bloodline but it added to the effect. Before Haku could get another cluster of senbon off, Naruto threw a kunai at a mirror, halfway there, the kunai released another twelve kunai each with a paper tag trailing after them and they slammed into the mirror, detonating on impact and blasting the mirror out and partially melting the surrounding mirrors. The reflection of Haku changed to one with a partially burnt battle kimono, the bottom edges torn from narrowly avoiding the explosion while the destroyed and melted mirrors reformed themselves. "You aren't the only one with hidden abilities" Naruto casually mentioned and the battle continued, with Haku's senbon flying in massive barrages and her narrowly avoiding swarms of explosive kunai that constantly lit the dome up with a constant stream of detonations.

* * *

"Naruto" Haku called out as she gracefully walked into the nice green clearing. Naruto was leaning against a tree on ground level and had a smile on his face

"Haku, welcome back" he said as she entered the clearing, her basket empty and ready for another batch of herbs . . . she had stopped needing them after the first visit but she needed an excuse in order to return. Naruto, walked forward and summoned a short table that he and Haku sat around, bringing out a pot of tea and a heating tag to boil it with.

"Why do you boil tea with Fuinjutsu?" Haku asked, it had bothered her the other times as well because as she understood it, good fuinjutsu tags were extraordinarily rare and customised ones were almost impossible to come across.

"Because the tag itself isn't exactly hard to make and the payoff is well worth it" as Naruto finished explaining, the tea finished boiling and he poured two cups out. "I also have tags that are designed to keep you comfortably warm while you are sleeping outside in the elements so you don't need a tent or a blanket which could obstruct your movement" Naruto added, taking a breath before sipping his tea "Want one?" he asked casually before sliding a couple over to the girl.

That night she had slipped on in down her sleeping kimono and activated it and had suddenly been engulfed in comforting warmth, it had been so good that she had fallen into a blissful sleep almost instantly.

* * *

Haku was engulfed in warmth as she narrowly dodged yet another swarm of explosive kunai, she was stinging from several places where she hadn't been fast enough and had gotten burnt but Naruto also had a few senbon sticking out of him in non-vital places to indicate his own wounds he had sustained. Haku was well aware that she didn't have the chakra to keep reforming the mirrors as Naruto destroyed them but he couldn't have the strength to keep tanking senbon like he was. She was also aware in the back of her mind that he was consciously choosing to stay in the dome with her, she was very well aware of the fact he still had an unknowable number of clones outside the dome and he hadn't used a single one inside the dome.

Haku was engulfed in warmth yet again as she dodged another wave of explosives, a single tear ran down her cheek, hidden to the world by her mask.

* * *

"Hey Haku-chan!" Naruto called out cheerfully, table and tea waiting for her as she entered the clearing. For her part, the girl smiled fondly and then the reality of what was to come at the end of the week hit her hard and she slumped to the ground "Haku?" Naruto called out, the question in his voice readily apparent.

"You know how this will end Naruto" she said softly and Naruto sighed before getting up. He walked over to her and slumped to the ground behind her, resting against a tree before wrapping her up in his arms and dragging her into him. She noticed his hands stray to her chest and apply pressure for a half second but didn't mention anything, he moved them again almost as soon as he finished, it was pretty clear he was just making sure of her gender.

"I'm a ninja Haku" Naruto said calmly, as if this explained everything. "I'm not sure exactly what Zabuza has taught you but . . . one of our greatest heroes and strongest person in our village . . . the Yondaime" Naruto began, stopping for a moment to collect himself "He was married shortly after becoming Hokage . . . in secret of course so his enemies wouldn't find out" Naruto continued, taking another pause "They had a happy marriage for exactly one year" Haku finally got where naruto was going "And both died in battle at the tender age of their mid twenties . . . probably younger . . . strongest shinobi in our village . . . both of them" Naruto said softly, resting his chin on Haku's head, she snuggled into him. "We are nowhere near their level, a week is a long time in comparison" he finished and Haku made an affirmative noise.

"Naruto" Haku said softly, the boy in question made a noise to confirm her was listening "There is one thing I want to do before the end" she explained, one hand already moving to the obi holding her pink kimono together. Haku rolled over and took a long look into Naruto's eyes while he did the same to her. Her obi came loose and her kimono opened up. Naruto sighed before wrapping Haku up in his arms and pressing his lips into hers. They melted into each other's embrace.

* * *

Haku stood still as she panted, her mask lying broken on the ground and blood dripping from the corner of her mouth but a radiant smile was on her face as she stood opposite from Naruto who was also panting, multiple senbon sticking out of his body in various places.

"You want me to kill you?" Naruto asked, seeking confirmation for Haku's request that she had just made.

"Yes Naruto . . . please, I'm of no use to Zabuza anymore" the girl said, tears forming in her eyes. Naruto watched as they gathered and then fell down her soft pale cheeks, the memory of the day before firmly in his mind. It had been three days into their daily dalliance that he and Haku and gone that extra step and slept with each other. The day before their fateful fight, he had spent it with her, morning turned into afternoon and then night as the two refused to move from each other's arms, knowing the end was coming. With a kiss on the head, Naruto pried himself out of Haku's arms and she had begged him not to go in tears, saying how if neither of them went, it wouldn't be their problem. Naruto had turned around and asked if she was really okay with that and Haku stopped begging, she merely sobbed and looked down, Naruto left the clearing but not before saying 'goodbye, and thank you for loving me'

"If you are of no use to Zabuza, then you can be of use to me" Naruto replied calmly, Haku merely gave him a fond smile.

"I can't, I'm a broken tool . . . I am no use to anyone" she said in that soft voice of hers. Naruto screwed his eyes shut, he knew she had practically no chakra left and even to use her mirrors would probably kill her at this stage. He opened his eyes and a faint click was heard as he flicked his thumb against the guard of his sword. Haku looked at it, the tears flowing freely as Naruto grasped the hilt of his sword.

"Please Haku . . . Tools can be reforged, remade, repaired" Naruto desperately appealed to her, hoping to counter her own analogy.

"I don't want to choose anymore" that simply statement caused Naruto to droop slightly, the choice between him and Zabuza had weighed heavily on her. "I almost said yes" she added and he knew she was referring to last night when he had asked her if she was okay with not being here. "I wish I had said yes" she said, her voice choked with the grief she was feeling. "Please Naruto . . . please" she begged him and with tears rolling down his own cheek, his arm moved forward, the soft sound of leather rubbing against metal was heard as his sword was slid from its sheath.

"Please . . . one last chance" Naruto asked, barely louder than a whisper, his sword stuck, still just slightly in its sheath and his hand trembling. Haku whimpered, the only sound she made was a whimper and then she spoke, her voice higher pitched than normal.

"I can't" she said "I can't let go" her voice was little more than a high pitched whimper, her smile still on her face and the utter desolation in her eyes as she held back from out right sobbing, she failed and a sob escaped her, "I can't let go no matter how much I want to take your offer I can't" Naruto closed his eyes, dislodging more tears which now ran freely down his face and, with a steady hand, his blade moved the last of the way out of his sheath, Haku sobbed in response, Naruto didn't even bother opening his eyes, he was still using his bloodline and thus could make out every rise and fall of Haku's chest, every beat of her heart, every tear that streamed down her face. He walked forward, his blade almost hanging loosely beside him in his death grip. He raised his sword, there was no going back, his sword was already drawn, he couldn't change his mind anymore, if she said she finally could take his offer, he'd cry and kill himself but she won't. He brought his sword down and, quick as a flash, Haku's hand dashed up with her only remaining senbon, catching his blade as her attention turned to her right where the mist had cleared and Kakashi was about to finish off Zabuza.

"There is one last thing I must do . . . I'm sorry Naruto" she said before spawning a mirror, and fading into it. Naruto's eyes snapped opened wide.

"NO!" he cried out as he turned on his heel, pumped chakra into his legs and fired himself off in the direction of the fight in a desperate bid to get there in time and stop Haku from dying. He arrived in time to see the blood splatter from Haku hit Zabuza, whatever jutsu Kakashi had been using dispelling after he had run his hand through Haku's chest, the serene smile on her face at complete odds with the situation. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" was Naruto's scream, his hand trembling as he held his drawn sword. Kakashi turned his attention to him after that scream and noticed Naruto's blade, his eye widened in horror.

"What a good tool Haku was" Zabuza laughed as he shook off the dogs and made to rush Kakashi but before he could get there, Naruto was in his way.

"You're mine clan killer" Naruto said and an oppressive feeling suddenly washed over the bridge. Zabuza's eyes widened and he laughed again as his sword slammed into Naruto's.

"It seems you have a whole squad of demons Kakashi" Zabuza said as he looked into the crimson eyes of Naruto and saw his own death played out several times over, the boy had even taken on a more feral appearance with sharpened teeth.

"Naruto you idiot, he's out of your league, fall back and act as support" Sakura called out from behind Kakashi.

"Let them go Sakura, I'm not interfering" Kakashi said as he took a step back, Sakura was about to start yelling at Kakashi when he continued "It's either one of them die or both of them do . . . which would you prefer?" he asked and Sakura quietened down while Kakashi laid Haku on the ground and pried his hand out of her death grip.

Naruto kicked Zabuza in the stomach, using it as a springboard to launch himself backwards before rushing in at a blur and slamming his blade into Zabuza's, knocking the missing-nin back several paces from the force of the hit. Then Zabuza came in for a quick slash with his blade, attempting to chop Naruto in half when he felt a pain in his arm and notice Naruto's blade cleanly slicing through the muscle of his one good arm, the other having been mangled by one of the dogs that Kakashi had used to hold him in place. The Kubikiribocho clattered to the ground while Zabuza's arm limply fell to his side and Naruto prepared to cut his throat.

"Well well well" came a condescending voice from the rapidly thinning fog. "Looks like the Demon of the Mist is nothing more than a joke, beaten by a little kid" a round of laughter followed the statement as a man shorter than Sakura stood as tall as a tiny man could. It wasn't even that he was a dwarf, his body was perfectly proportioned to his size, he just hadn't grown from when he was eleven years old

"What's the meaning of this Gato?" Zabuza asked, turning to face the short man who stood at the head of a small army of soldiers, each one wore different things but they all wore tatami armor and had a spear with a wakizashi belted to their waists.

"Well, you see, it's rather simple . . . missing-nin are always way too expensive and unlike village-nin, nobody will miss 'em when they are gone . . . in fact, people tend to pay me for getting rid of 'em" Gato explained "And put simply, hiring you is just food out of the mouths of these err . . . gentlemen" he added and a wave of laughter followed. "Mmm, that girl looks like she might have a tight body, the man that brings me Zabuza's head gets to find out" Gato said, looking directly at Sakura.

"Yo, sorry I'm late, ran into trouble in the village" Sasuke said as he dropped down beside Sakura, his sword in his hand.

"No problem, just getting ready to take out the trash" Sakura replied, hefting her own sword up "Same song and dance as usual" she added "Naruto, throw Zabuza a kunai, Zabuza . . . have fun" she ordered "Sasuke, Kakashi, fireball the flanks, join us in the middle" Kakashi gave her an amused look before jumping to the right flank and running through the hand signs for a fireball jutsu while Sasuke did the same on the left. Zabuza charged Gato and Naruto and Sakura waited a few ticks for him to get embedded in the enemy's ranks.

Screams of "kill it, kill the demon" rose out of the crowd as Zabuza chopped his way through, eventually gutting Gato with his knife before collapsing, meanwhile, two fireballs blasted either side of the formation and more screams were heard as several dozen men burnt to death in a matter of seconds. With that done, Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi hefted their weapons and charged, cutting through the mass of soldiers like the ninja they were, body piles forming as the seconds turned into minutes and at the half hour mark, the soldiers were all in those body piles while the team were standing at the other end of the bridge panting from having cut through several hundred trained soldiers. Business as usual.

* * *

Walking back, Naruto noticed that Zabuza had yet to pass into the void.

"Put . . ." Zabuza stopped to cough up some blood "Put me . . . next to her" he requested and Naruto nodded, hefting up the man across his back and then depositing next to where Haku was. "She was like a daughter to me" Zabuza said as he looked at the girl, so peaceful in death, Naruto said nothing, tears running down his cheeks at the sight of Haku. "I regret what happened with your clan" Zabuza said, Naruto turned his attention back to the Kiri-nin. "That night . . . I was there, I arrived at the time when Minori and her sister were escaping" Naruto's eyes widened. "At the time, Yagura told me they were plotting against us . . . the fact that Minori had been pulled from the academy along with a couple other of their shinobi seemed to prove it" he explained "So I joined . . . the attack" this wasn't necessary but he said it anyway "Nanami . . . I loved her . . . I cried after I cut her head off . . . I cried while doing it . . . she stayed to make sure her beloved sister would escape" Zabuza continued and Naruto closed his eyes "The worst part was, I did what she couldn't . . . the scar on my chest was her refusing to kill me at the last moment . . . she smiled even as I used that hesitation against her" he finished. "Take my blade, don't let it go back to those who would kill their own beloved . . . take it . . . to the place . . . where noone . . . gets . . . left . . . behind" Zabuza passed into the void.

Naruto dropped to his knees next to Haku and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm not sure if I loved you but thank you for loving me" he said to her before getting up, he felt almost empty inside as he walked over to Kubikiribocho, picked it up and sealed it into a scroll, he knew exactly what he was going to do with it.

"You okay Naruto?" asked Sakura as she walked up and put her hand on his arm tenderly. He nodded.

"It will take some time but it will pass" he said. They buried Haku and Zabuza in grave next to each other before the sun had even gone down.

* * *

"Goodbye!" called out a cheerful Inari, after the village had been freed from Gato's reign of terror, he had opened up dramatically, in fact, he had even managed to gather a village militia which was good because it turned out that there had been a few hundred more soldiers in Gato's stronghold and team seven was running on fumes by then so the added help was a plus.

"The bridge still needs a name" Tsunami mentioned and several heads turned from watching the team of konoha shinobi fade into the distance.

"I think there is really only one name for this bridge" Tazuna declared and everyone looked at him with bated breath "The Great Tazuna Bridge!" he announced and received a punch in the arm from Tsunami. "Okay okay, how about The Bridge of Stalwart Resolve!" he announced and everyone looked at each other, it wasn't a bad option but surely there were better names.

"How about The Great Konoha Bridge . . . to commemorate the group that fought hundreds of soldiers so that we'd have our freedom?" one person asked, another good option but still.

"The Great Kaiza Bridge for our one true hero" everyone turned to look at Inari who turned around and looked back, there were several nods before everyone turned back to Tazuna.

"The Great Kaiza Bridge . . . long may it stand" Tazuna declared and merely forgot to mention he had cut a lot of costs by building the bridge mostly out of wood with only a few bits of metal and stone for support.

* * *

"Gato Gato Gato" said a smooth male voice as he walked through the thoroughly cleaned out stronghold that Gato used to own. "Couldn't do anything right . . . could you" he said again as he examined a rather empty vault. "I see the game is afoot dear Minori-chan . . . the game is afoot"

* * *

 **well . . . we come to the end of another chapter . . . funny story with writing this, i almost cried as i wrote the scene with Naruto and Haku . . . and then when editing the format to allow for better reading . . . i read the section again and couldn't hold the tears back . . . it might be because it's 04:23 right now and i haven't had a lot of sleep . . . or the scene was genuinely emotional who knows.**

 **in any case, next up we will be considering the "Chunin Exam Arc" maybe . . . or i'll have some filler . . . i feel like i need an episode of filler . . . er i mean a chapter or filler, it's probably gonna be semi-important stuff but who knows, i'll let you know if it's skippable when the chapter comes out.**

 **in any case**

 **please tell me what you liked, disliked, what you thought could use improvement and what you'd like to see more of. take care.**


End file.
